<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Love of a Raider by FalloutWanderer</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25687519">The Love of a Raider</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalloutWanderer/pseuds/FalloutWanderer'>FalloutWanderer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 76</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Fluff and Smut, Fondling, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Rough Kissing, Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, Shower Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:40:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25687519</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalloutWanderer/pseuds/FalloutWanderer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Why'd you break me out of Rollins, anyway? You don't know me, I could be a bloodthirsty maniac, an axe-wielding ex-con...a door-to-door salesman!" Beckett pressed his heroine, wanting to know what would have driven a woman like her to set him loose...wondering if there was an outstanding payment just waiting for him further down the line.<br/>What he didn't expect was that even a hardened ex-raider like himself was capable of falling head over heels for the woman who not only saved his life countless times, but also gave him a place to call his own.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beckett (Fallout 76)/Female Resident (Fallout 76), Beckett (Fallout 76)/Reader, Settler Ward (Fallout 76)/Jen (Fallout 76)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Place To Call Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beads of perspiration rolled down Beckett’s forehead and the back of his neck in the cold autumn night, soaking into his shirt collar to make little pockets of damp cold fabric that made his hairs stand on end. Taking out a kerchief from his jeans pocket, he wiped them away in annoyance, tossing the maltreated fabric to the side once he was done. Sitting on the roof of his companion’s cabin in a spot by a babbling stream, set up in a remote location somewhere between Tygart Water Treatment and Horizon’s Nest, Beckett tried to keep calm even though every fibre in his body was raging, and he felt that familiar fury that made him see nothing but red when he was a raider with the Blood Eagles. He did the calming exercises his companion, Meredith, had shown him which helped when he felt like the world was spiralling out of control: slow and steady breath in, slow and steady breath out, repeating several times until he felt his mind clear and his heartrate slow back to normal. What was supposed to be non-complicated mission had gone sideways in the bat of an eye, almost costing Meredith her life.</p><p>“Pull yourself together Beckett”, he muttered under his breath, clenching his jaw and taking a deep breath in to steady himself, “She’s gonna be fine…you’ve both been through tougher situations…she’s a fighter and will pull through this too”.</p><p>Just below him, one of Meredith’s vaultie friends, Coulter, was working on stabilising her condition. In the Cultist ambush she’d been the hardest hit, suffering deep lacerations to her midsection, broken ribs, including two vicious stab wounds that were done with a dagger tainted with radscorpion poison; in all the chaos, Beckett didn’t even recall how they got up to the cabin.</p><p><em>“They must have tracked me down after I hoofed it man”</em>, he remembered Sage comment as they carried her up the hill, <em>“I’m sorry Beckett, I didn’t mean for Mere to get hurt”</em>.</p><p>If Sage hadn’t been with them at the time of the ambush, Beckett knew they wouldn’t have stood a chance. After Sage helped him carry Meredith to her cabin, he ran off in search of someone who could help treat her wounds as neither of the men were qualified enough to deal with the kinds of physical trauma she was inflicted with. Deep down he knew he couldn’t blame Sage too much… it wasn’t his fault that he was like this, flitting from one absurd cult to another; but there was a part of him that was angry at Sage for joining the Mothman Cultists. Beckett clenched his jaw tightly, feeling another wave of rage passing through him; all he wanted to do in this moment was go to the Cultist’s main camp and burn them all to the ground.</p><p>A recent newcomer from the impenetrable Vault 76 of Appalachia, Meredith had only been out of the safety of her Vault-Tec underground home for about ten months, though even in such a short period she and her people made waves in Appalachia. A naively optimistic twenty seven year old who knew nothing of the dog-eat-dog life above her, Meredith was sold a bullshit story from her Overseer about “retaking Appalachia”, as if it actually belonged to anyone besides the mutated monstrosities and the fanatical cultists and raiders that dominated the swamps, the barren and charred mining lands and mountains. No, this was not a safe world for humans anymore; the only way people survived in this hellish environment was as ruthless scavengers and raiders. Beckett himself knew as much, yet even though he attempted to explain this to his new companion since she rescued him from the Rollins labour camp those six or seven months ago, the woman had a mind and opinion of her own. Stubbornly optimistic and with a fierce conviction that there was still hope for humanity, Beckett was hard pressed to argue with her; in fact, the longer he sheltered at her cabin the more he found himself being inadvertently lulled into thinking that she was starting to make some sense. But it wasn’t her naivety that got her into trouble this time; it was a Mothman cultist party that ambushed them after they had freed his brother Frankie from the Blood Eagles underground hideaway in Watoga. Beckett always wondered whether their ilk held grudges as much as the raiders… now it looks like he had his answer.</p><p>The sound of footsteps approaching the door beneath him roused Beckett out of his thoughts and back to the present. Giving his head a shake and wiping away the tears that threatened to roll down his face, he cleared his throat and slid down the roof to the porch.</p><p>“What’s the word?” he asked, wasting no time as his heart felt like it was beating inside his throat. It took all of his energy to keep himself from fidgeting with his arms – he tended to do that when he was concerned or anxious.</p><p>“She’ll pull through”, Coulter exhaled in exhaustion and took off his blue medical gloves, running his fingers over his short buzz cut hair, “But she’s going to need extra care over the next 24 hours to get her out of the woods completely. I’ve given her antivenom and blood thinners to stop any blood clots forming from the radscorpion toxin, but that means her wounds are going to take longer to heal”.</p><p>The news brought some relief to Beckett and he felt his shoulders relax as if an invisible weight had been lifted off his shoulders, “Thanks Coulter… Can’t tell you how glad we are you were in the neighbourhood”.</p><p>Coulter gave him a curt nod and a smile that flashed brilliant white teeth, a stark contrast to his dark skin tone, “I’m only glad I was able to make it in time. If I’d been even half an hour late…”, he shook his head.</p><p>Beckett got the idea.</p><p>“Can I go see her?”</p><p>“Yeah. She’s asleep so…don’t expect much of a conversation”, Coulter added.</p><p>Beckett steeled himself before walking through the door into Meredith’s cabin, knowing that now more than ever he needed to be strong…for <em>her</em>.</p><p>The inside of the cabin was charmingly decorated and organised, the walls painted in an appealing canary yellow colour that normally gave the space a warm and inviting feeling, especially in the golden hour of the day when rays of light flooded the living room space…but not today. There was a small fire stove to the back wall on his right, a couch with two attractive armchairs in the middle and a set of stairs going up to the bedrooms on his left. He took the short flight of stairs two at a time and, raising his gaze from the wooden hallway floor, caught sight of her lying peacefully in her double bed through the open archway into her room.  Hesitating for a moment upon seeing her, Beckett recalled the hundred times he’d passed through this very hallway and caught curious glances inside of her reading, sitting at her desk writing notes on her terminal, having a snooze on her bed, and one time he accidentally walked into the bedroom while she was changing. The feelings of that memory of her, their eyes connecting as they both hesitated, caught in his throat and made his heart race.</p><p>“Hey Boss…” he sighed at the sight of her. Meredith was out cold, tucked under a blanket with her arms out by her side and an IV drip line attached to a vein at the top of her wrist. He pursed his lips as he pulled up a chair to sit beside her, a pained scowl settling into the fine lines in his forehead and around his eyes. Taking her left hand in his and feeling the warmth of her skin, he watched her chest rise and fall with every breath. Dark circles had formed under her almond shaped eyes, her closed eyelids preventing him from seeing the depths of her attractive bright blue-hazel coloured gaze. A serene expression on her pale rosy face, lightly speckled with attractive freckles around her nose and long ash blonde hair that cascaded past her shoulder blades like a waterfall, Meredith was unlike any woman he had come across in his life; hell, even her name was unusual to his ear, like a herald to better, safer times. Compared to the people who lived above ground, she carried a youthful complexion and, even though Beckett was only two years older than her, the stress of having to live in uncertain and dangerous times made his features appear as though he were past his mid-thirties.</p><p>“I’m so sorry this happened to you… I shouldn’t have let my guard down”, he whispered into her hand, a sensation of guilt washing over him. If it hadn’t been for him abandoning his brother to join up with a bunch of raiders, none of this would have happened.</p><p><em>‘Some brother I turned out to be… Can’t even keep my own family safe’</em>, he thought to himself.</p><p>To add more guilt to the already sky high pile, just before they’d left to get Frankie out of the Blood Eagles Meredith confessed that she carried feelings for him; feelings that even he had noticed had begun to develop between them as they spent more time together. In that critical moment when she confessed, he’d been so engrossed in the task ahead of them that he brushed past her heartfelt sentiments.</p><p><em>“Uh, look, Boss… I was kinda hoping you weren’t gonna bring this up… I know things between us have been…developing…over the past couple of months; but I can’t think about this…about </em>us<em> right now”</em>, the words came flooding back to him. Though at the time he didn’t pay any attention to the downward twitch in her forced smile and the glimmer in her eyes that had been jaded, it was all he could think about now.</p><p><em>“Oh… alright. I understand”,</em> her words played back in his mind, <em>“I just…wanted you to know, is all”</em>.</p><p>And to that response all he could muster was a half-hearted <em>“Thanks”</em> and a pat on her shoulder; the memory of which made him wince.</p><p>“Your vaultie friend… Coulter… says you’re gonna be Okay”, he murmured, leaning closer to her, “Sage is real worked up about getting you… getting <em>us</em> involved in all this; he would come and apologise himself but I uh… I got mad and told him to make himself useful by keeping watch… in case any more of his <em>old friends</em> show up”, he exhaled, rubbing his exhausted eyes that were beginning to sting. Hesitating for a moment, his gaze softened as he focused on her rosy features, “You really saved me…you know that? And I acted like such a jerk to you before we left, so immersed in my own problems that I didn’t see what I had in front of me”.</p><p>A knock on the archway behind Beckett startled him, making him turn abruptly to check who was interrupting.</p><p>“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you”, Coulter held up a hand apologetically, “You’ve been in here a while, wanted to check if you’re doing ok”.</p><p>“Yeah… Yeah, all good”, Beckett nodded emphatically, wondering how long Coulter had been standing there and how much of his conversation he overheard.</p><p>“You should get some rest. Mere won’t be awake for a while; I gave her some strong painkillers to help her sleep”.</p><p>“I’m fine, really”, Beckett stretched in the chair, feeling his spine click in a few places.</p><p>“Alright, suit yourself. I’ll be downstairs on the couch catching some shut eye if you need me”.</p><p>Beckett nodded absentmindedly in response and turned his attention back to Meredith once he heard Coulter settle downstairs. Hours passed and Beckett found himself nodding off in the chair by the time Sage dragged himself back through the cabin’s front door sometime in the middle of the night, almost making Beckett jump out of his chair. The news he brought back wasn’t good; he’d scouted further ahead and found a Cultist camp gathering followers to find and eliminate the three of them.</p><p>“<em>Shit</em>”, Beckett swore under his breath, his mind swimming. They had barely come back from that ambush, now a whole flock of maniacs were getting ready to attack them before dawn, “We got no other options, we gotta leave”.</p><p>Sage nodded in agreement and helped Beckett wake Coulter so the three men could prepare whatever supplies and ammunition they could carry with them.</p><p>“Where we gonna go man?” Sage asked in a hushed voice while he and Beckett were hurriedly making a makeshift gurney to move Meredith on as she was still out cold and in no condition to walk.</p><p>“Foundation, it’s the only place that’s safe”, Coulter answered next to them.</p><p>Beckett felt his stomach sink at the mention of the home base for the settlers; he’d had one or two run ins with some Foundation folk a while back when he was still a Blood Eagle. Now he just had to hope that there was no one there who would recognise him.</p><p>With the light of a half-moon outside somewhat lighting their path ahead and their packs loaded with as much supplies as they could carry, the group of four quietly departed Meredith’s cabin with Sage and Beckett carrying her on the gurney they constructed with sturdy branches and cloth…hoping they wouldn’t run into trouble on their long trek to Foundation.</p><hr/><p><em>‘Warm…too warm’</em>, were the first thoughts that slowly trickled in Meredith’s mind. A deep sleep had consumed her since the cultist attack not long…wait…how long was she asleep? An hour? A day?... More? In the hazy fog her mind began trying to piece together what happened.</p><p>
  <em>‘We were coming back from…Watoga’.</em>
</p><p><em>‘And then what happened?’</em> something in the back of her mind pushed her to remember.</p><p><em>‘I… Tried to fight them off… One of them stabbed me…kicked and punched me when I was down’</em>, the images began revealing themselves as if through a fog, <em>‘Beckett called out my name and there were gun shots… Sage was there?’</em></p><p>‘<em>Good, what else?’</em></p><p><em>‘I…don’t know… I feel too warm. Need to wake up’</em>, she thought, feeling the uncomfortable sensation of sweat soaked clothes sticking to her damp skin. It was a struggle to wake herself, her eyelids felt as if they’d been weighed down with lead and her body didn’t move when she commanded it to, but slowly and surely she began to rouse. The first rays of bright light stung her eyes when she opened them to peak around, releasing fresh tears to sooth the pain.</p><p>After allowing herself a moment to adjust, Meredith blinked awake, squinting in the bright light that seemed to surround her.</p><p><em>‘This isn’t the cabin’</em>, were her first thoughts when she glanced around at the foreign room set up. They seemed to be in one of those old-world trailer cars that had been converted into a bedroom. There were sounds of people milling about outside, chattering amongst each other, hooves scraping dry dirt and snorts of a brahmin further away.</p><p><em>‘Where’s Beckett?’</em> Meredith thought as she propped herself on one elbow with effort and absorbed her surroundings through squinting eyes. From the look of it, it was early morning and there wasn’t a cloud in sight outside, the radiant light from the sun washing over her from the large open window above her; no wonder she was feeling too warm for comfort. Looking around her, she realised she was the only occupant, and was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of urgency. Where was Beckett and, for that matter, where was she?!</p><p>“Beckett?!” she croaked, but her voice didn’t carry far. Flinging her blanket covers away, she mustered enough energy to sit up and try again, “Beckett!”</p><p>The sound of light rushing feet answered her call and a young boy’s face peered through the open doorway; it took Meredith a moment for her eyes to focus and recognize that it was young Davie Taylor, the son of Elsie and Derrick Taylor.</p><p>“Davie… You… where’s Beckett?” Meredith asked still unable to get used to the gruffness of her voice; it sounded like it belonged to another individual, not her own. Simply trying to sit up was a chore in itself and was making her head spin.</p><p>“I’ll go get him”, Davie answered excitedly and without another word turned on his heel and sprinted off in search of her companion.</p><p>Meredith breathed a sigh of relief as the adrenaline started to wear off; it appeared that they were safe, for now… but why come to Foundation? She didn’t have long to wait to get her answers as Beckett rushed back to the trailer, the sight of her awake and stirring softening the fine lines around his brow.</p><p>“Here, let me”, he rushed to her side placing one arm around her waist and the other on her collarbone to keep her upright, letting her use his body as support, “I’m not sure you should be trying to get up just yet Boss”.</p><p>“What happened? Why are we in Foundation?”</p><p>Beckett exhaled and smoothed the hair on the back of his head as he tried to find the best way to explain that they had to leave her home as the Cultists were planning on attacking them in the middle of the night.</p><p>“Uh, well… After we were ambushed… we carried you back to your cabin. Sage was able to find one of your vaultie friends, Coulter-”</p><p>“Coulter?” Meredith interrupted him, her brow furrowing in confusion.</p><p>“Yeah. He patched you up…you’ve been out cold since yesterday evening”, Beckett answered, “And as for why we’re in Foundation, well… Sage scouted ahead and found <em>another</em> Cultist party getting ready to make a run on our location before dawn. We packed up as much as we could carry and carried it and you to Foundation in the middle of the night”.</p><p>“But…my home…”, Meredith shook her head, an intense need to go back urging her to try to get up and out of bed.</p><p>“Hey, hey, easy…slow down”, Beckett wrapped his arm around her waist to stop her from getting on her feet.</p><p>“All my things are there, the resources we’ve been scavenging and collecting for months, including my things from the Vault…they’re irreplaceable Beckett!”, Meredith protested but it was no use, Beckett wasn’t going to let her exacerbate her already weak condition.</p><p>“You’re in no shape to go running back to camp”, he answered in a serious tone, “Nothing there is worth more than your own life, Boss!”</p><p><em>‘That’s where you’re wrong’</em>, she thought, her sense of desperation increasing. There were irreplaceable items that were left behind there, personal items she took with her when she left the Vault those many months ago, including photographs and items from her parents who had sadly passed away shortly after they all ventured out of the Vault…</p><p>Hot tears well up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks when she tried to blink them away, trying to hide them from him.</p><p>“Hey, look at me”, he craned his head to gain her gaze back, not relenting until her already reddening eyes reluctantly turned back to him, “We’re gonna go back, I promise. But for now, we need to wait until you are all healed up. By then those maniacs will be long gone and things’ll get back to normal”.</p><p>Despite her desire to go back to the home she’d built for herself in the mountains, Meredith knew she couldn’t argue with his reasoning; they were in a precarious situation out there  all alone, especially now with having provoked the Blood Eagles by removing The Claw from their ranks. There were now two factions in Appalachia that they knew of who wanted their heads for meddling with their affairs.</p><p>“Alright…”, she agreed, settling back down on the firm mattress despite the sinking feeling in her heart that he home was being destroyed as they sat together.</p><hr/><p>Days passed and with each new morning Meredith got stronger and felt more like her old self. Scars were beginning to form from her injuries which, over time, would begin to fade to thin lines of shiny skin. A little over a week passed when she was fully back on her feet and Beckett was confident that enough time had passed for the Cultists to presume they had succeeded in their task. However, once they got to the stream all that was left of Meredith’s cabin was ash with only the bare and blackened skeletal structure of her once charming home as evidence of her time spent there. Sifting through the debris they were able to find some salvageable items, but Beckett came across the most precious of them hidden underneath a collapsed support beam; it was Meredith’s keepsake box. Apart from a few scuffs to the dark wood’s high shine polished surface, it was in decent condition and all the items inside were untouched by the flames. He pocketed it inside his black leather jacket, planning on restoring the box to its original condition before giving it back to her as a surprise. When they were finally satisfied with their salvage, they headed back to Foundation.</p><p>“I can’t believe it’s gone…” Meredith mused in a hushed and sombre tone that made Beckett’s heart sink; it evoked a memory of when they first met after she sprung him out of that cell in Rollins.</p><p><em>“Where should we meet up after all this? Do you have some sort of place where you’re squatting?” </em>he recalled saying, desperate to get anywhere away from the Blood Eagles though acutely aware he had no place to call his own.</p><p><em>“Yeah, of course. Meet me at my camp – it’s a little cabin East of Kanawha lookout. You’ll find me by the stream”,</em> she’d said; and now, several months later, he found a home for himself with her.</p><p>Meredith poured everything into that house of hers and it took a lot of time and patience to bring it up to the standard she was happy with. He remembered when he first arrived at her cabin; it was two stories tall, with a nice porch in the front and a larger one in the back offering. All around them were tall trees that offered a welcome shade during warmer weather and gave off a pleasant and refreshing aroma on rainy days. There was something about that location, the sound of fresh and natural source of flowing water, that made Meredith feel calm and at peace. Now all that remained were charred ruins of both house and trees.</p><p>“We’ll build another one”, he reassured her, placing an arm around her shoulders.</p><p>Her skills in not just building a sturdy home, but also putting together his own bar in less than a day really impressed him; the skills and knowledge she had gained during her time in Vault 76 made her invaluable in Appalachia. He made it a priority to scout out the area around Foundation for a new home for them to build. Given the fact that they were wanted by Blood Eagles and the Mothman cultists alike, it would be better for them to find a location somewhere within a short walking distance to Foundation.</p><p>Not long after they returned and while the sun was still above the horizon, Beckett excused himself and took a stroll down the road from Foundation; as he made his way downhill, his attention was attracted to the faint sound of running water nearby. Following the sound away from the road, he found its source - a small stream with clear water that seemed to run from the top of the mountain, around a bend, under a bridge and into Spruce Knob Lake. There was even a hiking trail nearby which lead to a sheer cliff face with a breath-taking view.</p><p><em>‘Meredith’s gonna love this place!’</em> he thought excitedly, already picturing where the new house could be placed.</p><p>It took some goading on his part to convince her that it would be wiser to build her new home close to foundation rather than in some obscure, out of the way brush in the wilderness, but as soon as he showed her the spot he had in mind Beckett could see the spark of enthusiasm and excitement in her eyes.</p><p>As for the materials and manpower needed for the building project, Beckett put his whole weight into the build effort, from doing much of the physical labour to cutting favourable deals with the scavengers for supplies and with the workers at Foundation for the timber to be sourced and cut to specification. Knowing that if it wasn’t for him rudely bumping into Meredith’s life, her cozy cabin in the mountains would still be there and she’d have a much easier and simpler time without his troubles hanging over her head. Despite her insistence that he wasn’t to blame and that, if given the choice to do it all again she wouldn’t change a thing, the nagging remorse of what she’d been put through made it hard for him to believe her; so much so that, once he’d helped her build a new home, Beckett was certain that he would pack his things and leave. It was the only way he thought he could keep her from further harm.</p><p>A month passed and the house was finally finished, and upon gazing up at its finished structure Beckett couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment and relief.</p><p>“She’s a thing of beauty”, Meredith commented beside him, eliciting a knowing sideways glance from him behind his dark sunglasses.</p><p>“Yeah…she is”, he answered back as his eyes lingered on <em>her</em> and not the house.</p><p>Once again it was a two-storey house, light blue in colour with wood panel walls on the outside and a white porch that ran around the whole of the house. Nicely decorated with potted plants and planters, a long bench to sit next to the main entrance and wooden stairs leading up to the front porch. Inside it was nicely decorated with a deep red couch and two comfy armchairs facing a fireplace built in the wall on the right, with a flight of metal stairs on the left that led to an open plan bedroom. They were lucky several merchants that were passing through into Foundation had some furniture from Whitesprings to sell and now, with an almost fully furnished interior, Meredith’s new house looked more like an upper class home than a charming little cottage like she had before. The best part was the house was next to the main road so Meredith was sure to get travelling merchants stop by on the regular. There were still certain things that needed finishing, like planting the vegetables in the garden in the back and setting up a workshop in the large shed on the side of the house, but nothing that required heavy lifting. For the time being he and Meredith were putting up with sleeping on separate mattresses on the floor in the bedroom until the next shipment of steel and wood came in to Foundation the following day so they could finish building the bed frames, but Beckett wasn’t planning on staying. He’d packed his things in his duffle bag ready to go in the morning.</p><p>Knowing that Meredith was safe and all set up in her new home, he felt confident that with his departure come morning she would finally be able to live the life she’d always imagined after leaving the Vault. He remembered listening to her talk at length before the crap hit the fan with Frankie and the Cultists, about how she planned to help build a community of other vaulties and survivors, share her knowledge of construction and engineering so that Appalachia could be rebuilt to its former condition before the Great War. Part of him honestly thought she was nuts – who could possibly rebuild all those towns and cities that had not just been ravaged by war, but by the monsters that it produced? He remembered having to stifle an outburst of laughter when she first told him at how ridiculous it all seemed, but now… if <em>she</em> could build up a whole house in a month’s time, <em>maybe</em> there was hope yet for the rest of Appalachia.</p><hr/><p>When he finally woke on the day of his departure, the morning was gloriously sunny. Beams of light flooded through the windows, giving the space a warm glow as Beckett got the last of his things together. He noticed Meredith’s mattress was empty and assumed she’d gone out in the back to work on her garden. Heading down the stairs he heard the quick shuffling of a pair of boots on wooden floors outside and the familiar sound of hammering.</p><p><em>‘Another early start to the morning eh Boss?’</em> he mused, moving to the stone fireplace to his left; there was something that was missing from it. Taking out her keepsake box that he salvaged about a month ago from the burnt remains of her old cabin and restored to its original condition, Beckett placed the highly polished and smooth dark wooden box with a handwritten note from him on the mantle where it rightly belonged. He hoped it would be a pleasant surprise for her and that now it might remind her of him occasionally. With a heavy sigh he readjusted his duffle bag over his shoulder and was about to turn to leave when the main door opened and Meredith barged in dressed in her denim work jeans and shirt, her toolbelt strung loosely around her curved hips.</p><p>“Oh! Morning… Hope I didn’t wake you”, she exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him.</p><p>“Nah Boss, I was out like a light”, the corners of his lips curved up in his signature smile, though the look in his eyes betrayed his true mood – luckily it was hidden behind his dark sunglasses.</p><p>Upon further inspection, Meredith noticed his filled duffle bag slung over one of his shoulders, “You going somewhere?”</p><p>“Uhh… Yeah. I uh… I think it’s about time I take my leave”.</p><p>Meredith stood by the door almost frozen by his response, “You’re leaving?... W-where? Why?”</p><p>“I just think it’s…time for me to move on”, he almost mumbled his reply, finding himself stumbling to find the right words. The truth was he didn’t want to pull up stakes and rebuild someplace else, but he cared too much for her to stay and potentially put her life in jeopardy again, “I uh… I know you’ve got things you wanna do with your life and having me around, well… I’ll just be in the way. But uh…before I go, I have one last thing to say. You know… since I’ve been in Appalachia, I’ve run into all sorts of people and, um... Most of them wouldn’t bother to help even if you were dying at their feet. But, <em>you</em>…what you’ve done for me…for my <em>family</em>? I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you”.</p><p>“How we truly feel about each other is payment enough”, she said with a forlorn look, “Beckett…why does this feel like goodbye? I thought… I thought you cared about me, or was I wrong?”</p><p>“I do care about ya Boss, that’s why I gotta go…to protect you”.</p><p>“That’s not protecting me, Beckett”, she answered with a sceptical look in her eyes, “If you’re doing this because you don’t feel the same way about me and want to <em>protect</em> me from that truth, then don’t hide behind excuses. You should know by now that I don’t appreciate it when someone tries to bullshit their way out of a situation. I’m not ashamed to say that I care about you, but if you don’t feel the same way, then just say it”.</p><p>Her response took him by surprise; sure there was more moments of flirtation between them as they spent more time together over the past several months, but he didn’t think she was <em>this</em> serious about him… Afterall, how could she want to carry on pursuing him knowing how violent and fucked up his past was. Still, he couldn’t deny that there was something about her that made him feel…<em>different</em>…like he wanted to be a better person, a better man. He couldn’t deny that her mere presence made his heart flutter, the sound of her voice was the most pleasant and soothing he’d ever wanted to hear, and whenever she was away running her own errands or completing one of his missions he couldn’t help but feel like a part of him was missing. His mind would fret over her, wondering if she was safe, and if she was thinking about him as much as he was about her… The last thing he wanted to do was have her be dragged through the mud because of his past; but there was a selfish part of him that simply wanted her, wanted to know if she truly wanted him <em>despite</em> his misgivings.</p><p>“I’m uh… well, I’m not really sure how to respond to that”, he stammered, trying to find the words to express himself, “Look you see uh… I-I-I’ve never had anyone that wanted to get this close to me. It feels strange…and, it uh, it… it scares the hell outta me. I mean I-I couldn’t even keep my family intact, how is a relationship with <em>you</em> ever gonna work? I mean… You know… What if I <em>mess things up</em>? I know… I know I sound crazy. But for once, it’s not the chems talking. Does… does this change your mind about things? About us?”</p><p>Meredith sighed and moved a few steps closer to him, “I’ll be honest… it…scares me as well, but I’m willing to give it…to give <em>us</em> a chance. I’ve had plenty of time to think things over, the only recurring thought that comes through my mind when I wonder if I should even tell you how I feel is that if I don’t…I might just regret it for the rest of my life. We’ll… we’ll take it one step at a time…like everyone else does”.</p><p>Her answer made Beckett chuckle nervously, “Well…good to know I’m not the only one who feels that way, and uh, I dig your honesty. So…uuuuhmm… I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now. I’ve actually…never been in a relationship with someone before”, he replied, shifting awkwardly on his feet when Meredith didn’t reply but instead gazed at him with an amused expression on her features as if there was a small part of her that enjoyed watching him squirm when he didn’t know what to do, “Maybe I’ll just shut up and let this work out naturally. Yeah…yeah that’s probably best”.</p><p>“Wait… you’ve never been in a relationship before?” Meredith asked with genuine curiosity.</p><p>“No, never”, he shook his head, “The way I lived my life…even before I was chem-blasted out of my mind, there was never any time. Anytime someone tried to get close, I assumed they were trying to steal something from me, so I pushed them away. Given the way things are now, thinking that way was pretty stupid, eh?”</p><p>“So… How would you feel about being in a relationship… with me?”</p><p>“I mean… I’ve never really had someone who <em>cared</em> about me before, so this…this is all new to me…uh, not a great start there. Uh… I-I mean, yeah! It’s great! I’m happy, you’re happy…wait… are you trying to tell me something?”</p><p>Meredith approached him until she was so close that he could smell the scent of the fresh soap she used to wash her hair that morning. Even though Beckett liked to think of himself as a tough ex-raider, as someone who was hardened by the seriously messed up things he’d done and seen in his life, he found himself frozen in place by her…a woman who stood almost a head shorter than him. A tingle ran up his spine and he could feel his body shiver as he waited in breathless anticipation of a rejection he did not want but felt was a real possibility; the truth was he wanted <em>her</em>…he craved for <em>her</em>. Nothing and no one had ever shown him kindness and care the way Meredith had, and he wanted more. She was like a drug that invaded his thoughts and made him feel wanted, needed, invincible… an incredible high like he’d never experienced before, and he never wanted that feeling to end.</p><p>She stood at his feet and reached a hand to pull back his dark shades so she could look into his dark brown eyes, “If you haven't caught onto the message I'm trying to give you yet, then I'll just got ahead and spit it out now, plain and simple - I'm in love with you Beckett”, she answered, her hazel blue eyes sparkling in the bright morning light, "Now that there is no doubt on how I feel about you, are you willing to give us a chance?"</p><p>As if on cue with her request, his duffle bag slid off his shoulder with a thud onto the hardwood floor. All he wanted to do was launch himself, the desire for her that he’d been trying to keep in check all this time now suddenly feeling like it was growing out of control, a wildfire that was given permission to consume him from the inside out…but he still stood frozen in place, shivering with yearning, waiting for her signal. It wasn’t until she reached up and gently stroked the side of his face that he felt his quivering body ease and a sigh escape his lips. He acted on instinct and with one arm pulled her to him in an embrace, locking his lips with hers in a slightly uncomfortable and overpowering kiss that he realised must have been unpleasant for her.</p><p>“Sorry… I’m sorry”, his arm let go around her waist and he pulled away slightly, not wanting to hurt her, “That was uh… I hope I didn’t hurt you”.</p><p>His reaction was met with a playful giggle, “I’m not made of glass Beckett, but um… not gonna lie… We’re gonna have to work on your technique”.</p><p>At first he felt a wave of embarrassment: who was he kidding, a guy like him – completely inexperienced when it came to relationships, an ex-raider and addict, with a do-gooder woman like her? Then again… he’d seen stranger things happen in Appalachia.</p><p>“… Sure thing Boss”, he chuckled awkwardly, grinning as his ears turned hot as coals, “I won’t argue with that, but uh… since I hardly know <em>anything</em> about being in a relationship, I’m afraid you’re going to have to take the lead and…show me what I gotta do”.</p><p>“I have a feeling you’re going to be a natural”, Meredith cocked an eyebrow, a look in her eyes that he’d seen a fleeting glance of in the past when he walked in on her changing those many months ago, “And you don’t have to call me Boss y’know, just Mere”.</p><p>“Sure thing Bo-…. Mere”, he caught himself mid-sentence, making her grin, “Hey, uh… before we carry on, I have a surprise for you”. She hadn’t noticed what he’d placed on the mantle of the fireplace yet, so he retreated gingerly to it and hid it behind his back, making sure she didn’t see what it was.</p><p>“What you got there?” Meredith asked curiously, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.</p><p>“It’s a surprise. Well… it’s something I found back at the old cabin…when we went to check it out after you’d recovered”, he revealed the shiny wooden box in front of her.</p><p>Her almond eyes widened in surprise and a bittersweet smile spread on her lips, “You… you found my family keepsakes?”</p><p>“Yeah”, Beckett nodded, gently handing it to her, “It was scuffed when I came across it, so I restored it by hand. I-I know how much it means to you, now it’s as good as new”.</p><p>“You did this?” Meredith asked in surprise, studying the box that appeared in even better condition than she’d last remembered seeing it. Knowing that Beckett wasn’t that skilled as a handyman or repairing anything other than a weapon, the fact that he’d taken the time to do this properly meant a lot to her.</p><p>“Yup”, Beckett answered feeling pleased with himself, his gaze darting from her to the box and back, waiting to hear her reaction, “I uh… wanted to give it to you sooner but… well, I figured I’d wait until we got this place up and ready”.</p><p>“Thank you, Beckett. This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me”, she replied, lovingly clutching the box in her arms and standing up on her tip toes to give him a peck on the cheek before moving to set it on the shelf of the fireplace.</p><p><em>‘Not bad Beckett, this relationship thing might not be as hard as you think'</em>, he thought proudly to himself, his chest puffing up ever so slightly while his whole body felt light as air.</p><p>“I kinda have a surprise for you too”, she motioned for him to follow her outside. For a moment he wondered what surprise she could possibly have in store for him; it wasn’t until he followed her outside and saw a brand new and improved bar sitting pretty on the porch to the left of the front door… <em>his</em> bar!</p><p>“You…you made me a <em>new bar</em>?!” he exclaimed in disbelief, going round the back and circling it with eyes as wide as saucers. The whole set up she'd built for him was incredible, with shelving underneath the bar top for his drinks, and even a small refrigerator at the very bottom to keep his drinks cold.</p><p>“Well, yeah”, Meredith answered as if it was only obvious, “I know how much you liked the old one I set up for you, so I put together a new and improved one. Do you like it?”</p><p>For the first time in his life Beckett was at a loss for words; instead, he turned around and embraced her tightly, lifting her off the ground and giving her a spin as she whooped with laughter in his hug before setting her back down and giving her a passionate kiss.</p><p>“Holy crap… this is… I don’t know what to say”, he added breathlessly, his ecstatic expression switching from her to the bar. All this time she must have worked on it in secret, sneaking off in the early morning to finish it so quickly for him. It explained why for the past several days her bed was empty before he woke.</p><p>“I figure we’ll be having a lot more foot traffic now that we’re in a prime location”, Meredith commented.</p><p>“I’m gonna have to find a steady supplier if we’re gonna keep up with demands for drinks to keep folks coming”, he replied with a smile, his strong arms wrapped around her hourglass waist, “You know, you didn’t have to do this for me”.</p><p>Her eyes glanced up at him with a look that told him she knew him better than that, “You’re the one who’s been saying you need to get a hobby. And you’ve always wanted your own bar, so… hopefully this one doesn't get burned down like the last one did.”.</p><p>“Hmm, I suppose you’re right”, he murmured thoughtfully, feeling himself getting lost in her gaze and wondered if he should try again to kiss her. After a long moment of silence he began second guessing himself and doubt started to creep in; what if this was a mistake, what if he hurt her…what if the things he did in his past came to collect on his red, red ledger? Before he could pull away, Meredith raised herself on tiptoes to meet his parted lips with hers. So soft, warm and inviting were they that a simple intimate act like a kiss quelled his racing mind and replaced it with a singular thought…a need to have her.</p><p>“Mere…I want you”, he whispered between kisses.</p><p>A simper escaped her lips, fanning the flame that was already burning hot inside him.</p><p>“Then what are you waiting for?”</p><hr/><p>Lying naked on the mattress with Meredith by his side, her head resting on his chest as she dozed, Beckett stroked the loose strands of hair away from her face and lightly ran the tips of his fingers up and down her back and arms. She sighed softly in response, the corners of her lips curving ever so slightly in a satisfied smile. Their passion started off on a somewhat awkward note in the beginning and Beckett was embarrassed that he only lasted a few minutes at best before losing control, feeling like he was hit with a rollercoaster of pleasure.</p><p><em>“I’m sorry…”,</em> he remembered apologising, but Meredith chuckled and stroked the side of his face.</p><p><em>“You can make it up to me next time”</em>, she said playfully, to which he was more than happy to oblige.</p><p>It wasn’t that Beckett was clueless when it came to sex, he knew the basic ins and outs of the activity, but what he initially struggled with was pleasing his partner. Back when he was a raider there wasn’t that much opportunity for fooling around, though when there was it was mostly the men who got the most satisfaction from it. He never forced anyone against their will, but the few times he did engage with another woman it was simply for both parties to relieve a nagging itch that needed to be quelled. With Meredith it was different, more intimate and conscious rather than an instinctual “let’s just get this outta the way” kinda deal. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was nervous, and that probably played a part in the awkwardness at first; he remembered how his heart raced in his chest when he removed her underwear and saw her fully naked for the first time, how the sultry look in her eyes as she bit her lower lip when she gazed at him kneeling in front of her made his stomach do a loop and his member twitch in anticipation.</p><p>Though he’d only lasted a few minutes the first time, he eagerly wanted to learn what he could do to make the experience more pleasurable for her. She showed him how to kiss her, to trail his lips down her neck as his hand caressed her skin moving down over her chest, abdomen and between her thighs. He found that she liked to be teased as his fingers lightly ran up and down her inner thighs before moving to her inner lips, wet and ready for his touch. He remembered as she let out a soft moan when his index finger stroked over her clitoris, moving gently up and down and round in circles to keep her guessing. Then an idea sparked in his mind: what if he used a combination of moves, gradually inserting his middle finger inside her while his thumb carried on stroking her clit in circles. The combination was an immediately success as Meredith’s breathing quickened and he felt the walls inside tighten and pulsate around his finger as he pressed on at a steady speed, relishing in the sounds she made until she came in a back arching, hair grabbing crescendo, calling out his name in ecstasy. He made a note to himself to remember that move.</p><p>Her pleasure reinvigorated him, engorging his member and he found himself ready to feel her embrace once more. Just as he thought he was ready for what was to  come, he was surprised that the sensation was different after Meredith came; this time she felt tighter, warmer, and he swore that with every stroke her walls were caressing him back. He remembered how good it felt when he pulled her hips up to his while he knelt in front of her, holding onto her pleasingly plump derriere to keep her in place. The memory of the wonderful sensation of being inside her, stroking her clit with his fingers as he penetrated her made his heart flutter. The second time he lasted longer, roughly a quarter of an hour by his estimates, and it was certainly a more fulfilling kind of pleasure.</p><p>“Hmm… does this mean you want more?” Meredith’s voice roused him from his reverie and he hadn’t realised that, as he was recalling their passionate activity, his member had, again, roused itself for another session.</p><p>“I could go for a third round…if you’re up for it” he grinned at her, chuckling as she trailed her lips up his neck and playfully nipped his lower jaw that sent a shiver down his spine</p><p>She sat up and straddled him as he lay flat on his back, allowing his eyes to saunter over her body, from one delectable curve to another. He gently but firmly ran his hands up her thighs to her buttocks, giving them a good squeeze before moving up to her ample breasts. The feel of her soft breasts in his hands made his member stand to attention, pressing between Meredith’s lips. He was so close to entering her again, feeling the tip of his cock finding the easiest path of entry and it was a sensation that left him wanting all of her. Instead of sliding down onto him, Meredith pulled her hips away, a naughty grin on her lips as she shook her head.</p><p>“Mmm, not yet, there’s other things I wanna do”, she whispered seductively.</p><p>“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?” he asked with bated breath, his mind wondering what other erotic things she had in store for them both.</p><p>Although she didn’t answer verbally, the look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Leaning forward to kiss him, pressing her soft skin to his, she started with his lips then moved down his chin, throat, broad chest, and muscled abdomen. His breathing quickened as he lay there trying to keep still, not knowing what was coming next. Her lips trailed down further past his lower abdomen and, when she reached her destination, Beckett let out a small gasp at the wonderful sensation of her lips wrapping around his hard cock.</p><p>“…Fuck…”, he uttered in a tense grunt, trying to keep his hips from thrusting up as Meredith took him in her mouth, her tongue stroking the tip of his head.</p><p>Feeling quite pleased with herself when she felt a reciprocating twitch from him, Meredith let out a soft moan as she took him deeper before rising back up.</p><p>“That feel good?” she asked innocently, her eyes focused on his surprised expression.</p><p>“Oh baby…”, he exhaled, his chest heaving with every breath. Meredith took that as a yes and continued, incorporating a mix of suction and playful fondling of his balls, feeling him tense up and spasm as she included an added sensation of stroking him with a free hand.</p><p>“Baby stop…stop or I won’t last much longer”, he pleaded, firmly grabbing the hand she had on his cock. Judging by his grip, Meredith could tell he was a stroke and a lick away from losing control and, although she didn’t want to stop, she decided to pause to give him a moment to catch his breath and brought herself up to kneel beside him. Shifting position to lean more on her left hip, she reached out and lightly ran her fingertips down his chest and abdomen, trailing over his defined abdominal muscles, watching him with a hunger in her eyes as Beckett regained control.</p><p>“You doin’ alright there Beckett?” she inched closer to him, enjoying the power she had over him.</p><p>He blinked a few times and took some deep breaths to regain composure before answering, “I’m… <em>Fuck</em>… I never felt this good. But…you’re spoilin’ me rotten here, darlin’. I wanna make you feel good too”.</p><p>“Don’t worry Beckett, I already feel good just knowing I got you squirming in my hands”, she gazed at him with a sultry look in her eyes, her fingers making swirling patterns on the short dark hairs on his chest while her other hand trailed up his inner thighs and back onto his firm shaft when she decided he’d had enough time to rest. “Hmm, I wonder what’ll happen if I do…<em>this</em>?” she said in a feigned innocent voice, steadily rubbing the length of his shaft in an up and down spiral motion.</p><p>“Fuck! Oh <em>Fuck!</em>”, the words bellowed out of his mouth in a combination of surprise and amusement as her strokes threw him into a whirlwind of pleasure. His mind felt like it was melting, body tingled all over as he lost control and a delicious warmth spread through his insides from his groin as he reached climax. When it was all over, he gently floated back down to Earth, finding himself breathless from the overwhelming stimulation and clutching the edges of his mattress. Through a hazy gaze he caught sight of Meredith’s smiling face leaning in to give him a deep and sensual kiss. He placed a hand on the nape of her neck and pulled her to him, wanting nothing more than to lay there naked with her. She laughed in surprise as she lost her balance and he felt the weight of her lithe body press onto his. With a devilish grin he wrapped his free arm around her waist and expertly flipped her onto her back, resting his head in the crook of her neck and breathing in her scent.</p><p>“Oh baby… Where’d you learn to do these things?” he asked with breathless curiously. Since they’d met he didn’t think her to be this wild and ravenous minx in bed; in all the time they’d lived under the same roof she’d always struck him as the more serious and silent type. She was smart, smarter than anyone he’d ever met, with a stubbornness to boot, but he never would have guessed that there was this whole other side to her. It made him wonder whether she’d learned these moves from other romantic interests which, although he didn’t like to think about, would have made sense.</p><p>Meredith’s nose wrinkled slightly as she grinned, sporting a naughty look in her gaze, “There was this book… in the Vault…”</p><p><em>‘Of course it was a book’</em>, Beckett thought; he knew she loved to read, but given that she gravitated more towards specialised reading material, he wouldn’t have guessed that <em>that</em> would be a topic of interest for her.</p><p>“<em>Go on</em>”, he prodded while propping himself onto an elbow beside her, wanting to learn more himself and wondering whether it was one of the items she took out of the Vault.</p><p>“Well… it’s a book on <em>intimate</em> <em>activities</em> aaand it was off limits in our library… Well, <em>off limits</em> to anyone who wasn’t 18 or older. But one night a couple of my friends and I, being curious and slightly mischievous 16 to 17 year olds, we decided that we wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I mean, there’s not that much to do in a vault, so when word from the librarian’s son got out about there being a book on fun and engaging activities for grownups, we decided to…take a peak”, she shrugged her shoulders, feigning innocence, “So we snuck in one night and picked the lock of the shelf and…once we opened it…<em>nothing</em> could have prepared us for what was inside that book”.</p><p>“So…what did you do? What was in it?”</p><p>“We, uh… read through parts of it before almost getting caught by the librarian”, Meredith’s gaze darted away as her cheeks flushed with the memory, “It, uh… definitely left a <em>lasting</em> impression on all of us. Most of us found it funny and couldn’t help giggling as we read through all the details about <em>positions</em> and <em>technique</em>, but some of the others became… <em>more</em> curious about the whole process and…I’ll just say… the Overseer had to account for a few more mouths to feed”, Meredith blushed as she recounted her mischievous youth.</p><p>“Ohhh… I see…”, Beckett’s eyes widened when he realised what she meant, “So, uhm… I uh, I-I’m guessing that you…you - did <em>you</em>…you know…?”</p><p>Meredith chuckled and shook her head, “I knew better than that. Besides, knowing what would wait for us after the Vault opened, I didn’t really want to get stuck with someone <em>from</em> the vault”.</p><p>“Ah, you were hoping for a night in shining armour to come sweep you off your feet. Instead, you got stuck with an ex-raider”, he grinned, remembering how they first met.</p><p>“Nothing like that. I just… didn’t find anyone in the Vault <em>that</em> appealing”.</p><p>Her answer only stroked his ego further.</p><p>“Wait, wait… soooo, have you… you’ve <em>never</em> been with someone, before me?” Beckett wondered out loud, feeling a strange sensation the likes he’d never felt before stirring within him.</p><p>“Well… No, I uhh... I had a <em>fling</em>, I guess would be the best word to describe it, with Coulter about a year before the Vault opened”, Meredith answered.</p><p>Beckett gave a shake of his head and blinked in surprise, the ego he felt not a moment ago shattering into a million pieces inside his mind, “Uh, Coulter?... Seriously?”. Not only a capable and skilled medic, Coulter was a confident and attractive man with a strong jaw and build, something Beckett knew many women were drawn to and he was lacking in – apart from his physically strong build, that is. Inadvertently he was comparing himself to Coulter in his mind and finding many of his own qualities lacking.</p><p>“That’s all in the past though”, Meredith answered, noticing that the revelation made Beckett appear a little uncomfortable, so she propped herself up to meet him at eye level, “It wasn’t serious… I certainly didn’t feel the affection I have for you with him. You’re the first man I’ve fallen in love with Beckett, and I mean that”.</p><p>All Beckett could do in response was smile and lovingly stroke the curves of her body. He was never really good with words and he wasn’t about to start now, but what he was good at was using his actions as words.</p><p>“Sooo… you got any positions or techniques in that old book that you wanna try out?”,  he asked, prompting a wider playful grin from Meredith.</p><p>“Well… there's this <em>one</em> position….”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Heartstrings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beckett's bar is a whopping hit with the locals, travellers and the settlers at Foundation, but with so much work piled up and wanting to support both himself and Meredith, they haven't had a chance to have some quality and intimate time together. A decision to sneak off for a quick moment from his work to see Meredith turns into a hot and steamy session in the garage.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Several weeks into his new gig at the bar a short walk down the hill from Foundation and business was booming – Beckett’s Bar was a hit, so much so that he had to source multiple suppliers just to keep up with demand! Beckett was making caps hand over fist and the best part of all was being able to see and talk to Meredith while he was at work…that was, when she was around. Lately as the bar had been getting busier and, as a consequence louder, Meredith had taken to working in her newly built garage in the back of the house away from all the ruckus and crowds that had gathered on her porch during the days and nights when Beckett was serving drinks. This was already the second week he’d not seen her during most of the day and he was missing her to the point where it was becoming painful.</p><p>“Mere, hey Mere…?” Beckett called out to her behind his bar in the hopes she was inside the house and would come out to say hello to him, while opening up two more bottles of Pickaxe Pilsner with his already sore hands for awaiting customers. The bottle cap opener had gone missing earlier that morning and he found himself ducking underneath the bar in search of it, hoping it had just fallen through a crack in the floor. It wasn’t until Ward walked up to the bar that Beckett’s head stopped turning every which way in his frantic search, “Hey there Ward, you’re early today. The usual I assume?”</p><p>“Sure, a cold one if you got any left”, Ward nodded, examining the large crowd of people that had gathered.</p><p>“Ah yep…yep, got a few more in the back of the fridge here”, Beckett groaned as he bent down and rummaged through the bottles to grab Ward his drink, “One ice cold NukaCola, coming right up”.</p><p>“Thanks. The place looks busier than usual”, Ward dropped 15 caps on the bar’s highly polished metal surface and accepted his drink.</p><p>“Yeah, seems the word about the bar’s spread throughout Appalachia”, Beckett added, flashing his signature grin, “Hey, Ward…could you do me a favour and watch the bar for a moment? I uh... gotta go in the back to check on Meredith”.</p><p>“Sure thing”, Ward replied, taking a seat next to the bar to watch over Beckett’s things while he went inside. There was no sign of her in the living room nor the bedroom upstairs, so he made his way through the house to the back and heard the familiar sounds of metal clanging and the grinder’s high pitched whine as it cut through metal.</p><p><em>‘Of course she’s in the garage…again’</em>, he mused, wondering what on Earth she could be doing this late in the afternoon.</p><p>“Mere…babe?” he called from the doorway but the noise was too loud for her to hear him above the repair work she was carrying out on a piece of metal chest armour. It didn’t help him that she had her ear protection on either, so he slowly approached to her side so as not to startle her.</p><p>“Hey!” Meredith yelled back as she noticed him appear in her peripheral vision, comically unaware of how loud her voice was, “Everything okay?!”</p><p>“Yeah!” Becket yelled back, unable to stop himself from chuckling.</p><p>Meredith stopped her work and switch off her tools at the socket before removing her heavy duty leather gloves and over ear protection, giving her head a little shake to get rid of some of the dust and fine metal powder she was covered in, “Sorry, I had to get this repaired for one of the guards at Foundation”, she added, leaning on one leg and placing her hands on her hips as she examined her work.</p><p>“Ah, I see. Looks good Boss!” Beckett replied with an enthusiastic tone to his voice, moving behind her and threading his muscular arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him so he could nuzzle her neck and give her a little nibble on her ear like he knew she liked. With the bar being so busy during the days and nights, they didn’t get to spend nearly as much quality time together. Beckett felt like a tension was building between them, one of wants, needs and desires that could only be quelled one way, and in that moment with his arms around her, a mischievous thought crossed his mind…</p><p>“Beckett!” Meredith protested playfully when she felt him give a playful suck on her neck and his hands wandered up to massage her breasts, “I’m covered in dust and grime!”</p><p>“Mmm I don’t care baby, I’d happily have you…filth and all”, he murmured in a seductively low and rough voice, his jeans beginning to feel tight around his groin.</p><p>“I love you Beckett but… you’re incorrigible!”, she replied with a wide grin and reciprocated his advances by lightly pushing her derriere back into him, feeling a familiar pressure beginning to press on her lower back.</p><p>“Well, I know what “I love you” means…the other word, <em>not so much</em>. I’ll just assume you’re telling me that you’re okay with what I’m about to do to you”, he added, and with one move turned her around to face him then quickly picked her up off her feet and sat her on the clear table top next to her working area. He relished in hearing her laugh and playfully object at his advances. Luckily he knew just what to do to get her to stop wiggling; pulling her shirt up to reveal her chest and while keeping one arm around her waist to help her keep her balance, he leaned down and took one of her perky breasts in his mouth, running his tongue around her nipple until he felt it turn hard. Meredith was immediately placated, rolling her head slightly back and running her skilful fingers through his thick hair as her chest heaved with every sigh and quiet moan.</p><p>“Beckett… stop, stop… who’s looking after the bar?”</p><p>“Ward”, Beckett replied straight away, carrying on with his task of sucking and licking on her nipples.</p><p>“But they’ll…everyone’ll be able to hear-”</p><p> “I don’t care if they hear us”, he rose back up to meet her gaze and the hand that was around her waist ran up to the back of her head so he could grab her hair and gently pull her head back to expose her long neck to him to breathe in her scent and adorn her skin with kisses, “I’ve missed you like crazy and all I’ve been thinking about today was how much I wanna have you”.</p><p>He drew closer pressing himself between her legs and she let out a small whimper as she felt his hard cock struggling to be set free inside his trousers.</p><p>“Oh…wow”, her eyes widened in surprise, fixating on his, “How did-”</p><p>“I told you, I’ve been thinking about this, about <em>you</em> all day”, he breathed, his lips trailing to the side of her neck and up to her ear, “Just say the word and I’m yours”.</p><p>Meredith bit her lower lip, a carnal desire burning within her as she mulled over his proposal, making him work a little harder for it.</p><p>“Hmmm… Only if you do the thing I like”, she grinned seductively, and Beckett didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled off her boots and trousers, tossing them to the side in the heat of the moment, unzipped his jeans and let out a little sigh of relief as he felt the pressure on his groin ease. Meredith turned her hips to the side and positioned her right leg between his legs while Beckett hooked her left leg over his elbow. Unsheathing his already engorged cock out of his boxers and pulling Meredith’s underwear to the side, he knew exactly what she wanted. Taking hold of his member in his free hand, he trailed the head over her sex and stimulated sweet, subdued moaning from her that felt like honey to his soul. He was feeling for that familiar warm slick that he craved; he found it when her lips parted with some sweet coaxing as he rubbed himself on her and Beckett sensed the head find her warm opening. With an involuntary twitch on his part, he entered her.</p><p>Beckett froze, feeling his body stiffen as his desire and his mind were fighting with each other – one part of him wanted to go in all the way, again and again, feeling the depths of her flutter around his cock until he achieved sweet release…but another less selfish part wanted to do what she’d asked – tease her until she told him he could come in. After a moment considering his options, his mind regained control over his desires and he pulled back out but in that moment Meredith grabbed hold of his arm, an urgent look in her eyes.</p><p>“No, don’t stop”, she gazed at him with pleading eyes; who was he to argue with a request like that?</p><p>Leaning over her sprawled underneath his body, he placed a hand on the nape of her neck focusing her gaze on him; he wanted to see every expression of pleasure in her eyes, her face, her mouth as he entered her freely.</p><p>Meredith sucked in a breath as he slowly pushed himself inside, stretching her tight walls until he reached the base and could go no further.</p><p>“Baby you feel so good”, he moaned between kisses, his cock still sheathed deep inside her, “I just…Oh God…I wanna fuck you right into this table”.</p><p>Her eyes fluttered open and she craned her head to kiss him passionately, nipping at his lower lip, “Do it”.</p><p>The response caught him off guard as he’d never heard her express an interest in being rough during their intimate moments together; for that fact, he caught himself feeling unsure about being that forceful with her. Although Beckett knew his limits, he didn’t want to hurt the woman he loved and cared deeply about.</p><p>“You sure?” his uncertain gaze focused on hers, not wanting to do something she didn’t like or wouldn’t approve of; to his surprise she not only nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Fuck me like you mean it”, and those words were enough for him.</p><p>“Alright darlin’, but I can’t promise I’ll be gentle”, he answered in a low rumbling voice. A little whimper of anticipation escaped her lips as his hands roughly grabbed her hips and pulled her over the edge of the table, angling her slightly up so he could hit her sweet spot. With both arms holding her into position, Beckett let his passion loose in full force for the first time, his hips thrusting hard and fast into Meredith who arched her spine back as she held onto the edge of the table top. The table groaned and creaked with every thrust, a protest of their activity which it wasn’t built to withstand, but neither he nor Meredith were in a position to care; the carnal desires of the flesh needed to be fulfilled until they were both satisfied.</p><p>Heart beating fast in his throat and panting as if he were running at full pelt, Beckett could feel himself nearing his destination when Meredith brought a hand down between her legs and began drawing circles around her clit that in turn made her walls flutter around his cock. Just watching her playing with herself while he drove himself into her again and again made his knees feel weak with pleasure; he had to distract himself by burying his face in the crook of her neck. Pressing his trembling lips to her neck, he sucked hard and felt Meredith’s breath shudder, a loud moan escaping her lips.</p><p>“<em>Fuck baby</em>, I’m losing my <em>mind</em>”, he managed to gasp before the final thrusts that sent him over the edge. His body stiffened and his grasp around her hips tightened as the familiar explosive warmth spread from the tip of his cock throughout his body in waves; Beckett found himself unconsciously gently biting into Meredith’s neck to stop himself from vocalising his bliss. His deep thrusts eased to gentler and shorter strokes</p><p>As the sensations began to ease and the haze of carnal delight cleared from his mind, he propped himself up on shaky arms to check on Meredith.</p><p>“Baby…you alright?” he asked, blinking the bliss away.</p><p>“Uh huh”, Meredith murmured in a voice that was higher pitched than normal between deep breaths, her breathing quickening to a fever pitch. It wasn’t until she had reached her peak that Beckett realised she was cumming, her back arching and trembling thighs opening as wide as they would go. Grabbing a handful of her right breast he massaged it while sucking on her nipple to help her along. It must have been a powerful sensation because he felt her walls press hard enough to push him out. A minute later she was back down to Earth again with him, eyelids heavy with sleepy delight as they both chuckled and held each other.</p><p>“Man oh man, I’m one lucky guy”, Beckett mused out loud, stroking the side of her face.</p><p>“Damn right you are”, Meredith answered in kind, making him chuckle and bow his head on her bosom.</p><p>With the flames of their desires sated for the time being, they got dressed and composed themselves as though nothing untoward or X-rated had just happened in her garage; after all, they didn’t want to give the patrons the wrong idea about what kind of establishment Beckett was running.</p><p>“Anything I can get you to drink from the bar babe?” Beckett asked once they were both decent.</p><p>Meredith’s brow furrowed slightly as she considered his offer, “Hmm… No, I think I’ll come by the bar in a bit. There’s this cute bartender that I’ve had my eyes on for a while”.</p><p>“That so?” Beckett asked in a tone that feigned naivety, “He must be something else to catch your eye”.</p><p>Meredith grinned widely and gave him a suggestive wink.</p><p>“Well… I’ll go let him know you’re coming”, he winked back at her, feeling his chest puff up a little with the flirting between them before he left her to finish her work.</p><p>When Beckett got back to his bar, he was surprised to see that more people had gathered than before he left to check up on Meredith, and Ward was desperately scrambling to serve everyone their drinks. He quickly moved through the crowd to replace Ward, who heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he saw him approach.</p><p>“Wow, Holy…where’d all these people come from?!” Beckett asked out loud more to himself than anyone else.</p><p>“No idea, but they came all at once not long ago”, Ward replied as he moved aside to stand beside Beckett,  watching the crowd of settlers, travelling merchants, and two caravans worth of people with their guards milling about the front porch waiting to order their drinks.</p><p>“How’s Meredith doing?” Ward asked him out of the blue, making Beckett instantly feel a sense of discomfiture.</p><p>“Uh…Fine…she’s doing fine”, Beckett answered while handing out cold drinks and taking in caps.</p><p>“Dunno if you’ve heard, but there’s going to be a gathering at the end of the week at Foundation”, Ward added just as Beckett was finishing up serving his customers, “Thought you and Meredith might wanna come by and catch up with everyone”.</p><p>“Uh… I…I don’t know Ward…”, Beckett stammered, scratching an imaginary itch on the back of his head. The truth was he felt uncomfortable whenever he went into Foundation; sometimes it seemed as though all the eyes of the settlers were on him, judging him silently for his past… But he wasn’t going to let Ward know that. “I’m expecting some deliveries end of the week and, given how busy it’s been around here, going to have to take a detailed inventory of things. Y’know…gotta make sure there’s enough to keep coming”.</p><p>“Alright. If you do change your mind, it would be nice to see you both at Foundation. I imagine Meredith would look forward to a little change in pace”, Ward added, sipping on his NukaCola.</p><p>“Erm, I guess”, Beckett raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “Hey, uh… What uh… What kind of gathering will it be?”</p><p>“The younger residents have taken to calling it a ‘Thanksgiving party’”, Ward chuckled in his gruff voice, “It was their idea to bring back a few old traditions from before the War”.</p><p>“A party? Well…that’s uh… Sounds like it’ll be fun”, Beckett replied, trying to sound enthusiastic even though he never liked social gatherings.</p><p>“We’ve been having them for the past three years or so and every year it seems to be more lively and entertaining”, Ward nodded, “I’ll admit… I’m not much for socialising, especially in the beginning when people didn’t know about my past, but… It’s grown on me. And from what I’ve seen it’s a good way for couples to spend more quality time together”, he answered, knowing that would get Beckett’s attention. Since coming to Foundation, Beckett secretly relied on Ward’s advice and guidance not just about life in Foundation and the people living there but on a variety of topics, including a thing called ‘dating’ that Ward was more than happy to share his piles of magazines and reading material on. Even though Meredith did her best to show him what being in a relationship is like, Beckett would have been lost at sea when it came to the relationship if it wasn’t for some of Ward’s words of advice and paper research.</p><p>“Really?” Beckett asked curiously, beginning to mull the option through his mind, “Well… I’ll uh… I’ll ask Meredith and get back to you on that”.</p><p>Ward nodded and decided that, as he had finished his drink a while ago and fulfilled Beckett’s favour by looking after the bar, he would take his leave, giving Beckett a friendly pat on the back as he walked back to Foundation.</p><p>As the day progressed and he was beginning to run out of drinks to serve his customers, Beckett decided to call it a day a bit earlier than usual. Though he didn’t like to turn his customers away, there was one woman he wanted to spend more time with…and he wanted her to have the bar all to herself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Red Couch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beckett and Meredith attend the Thanksgiving feast organised by the settlers at Foundation.</p><p>Beckett finds out that Ward has romantic feelings for Jen and offers his advice and perspective to help him avoid the mistakes he made with Meredith before they sealed their romance.</p><p>On their return home after the Thanksgiving party, Beckett and Meredith get caught in the rain and things get steamy when they get back to the house.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Babe, you ready to go?” Beckett’s voice called from downstairs, rousing Meredith from her daydreams while peering through her window in the bedroom at the sky above them.</p><p>“Almost!” she answered back, pulling the curtains to so she could get dressed. Dark skies hung over the horizon some miles away from the house in the evening as Meredith heard Beckett close up for the day. Though the crowds of people seemed somewhat displeased, they were soon rallied to carry on their journey up the hill to Foundation or go to wherever their business was waiting for them as a flash of lightning illuminated the sky and the rumble of thunder followed not long after. Meredith counted seven seconds before she heard the faint rumble; it was far enough away that it might just pass them by without a drop of rain.</p><p>Going over to her drawers, there was a dress she had tucked away in there that she had been saving for a special moment, hoping one day that there would be an opportunity to wear it. Tonight was as good a time as any. It was a flowy a-line cut navy dress with a sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder short sleeves, pairing it with a pair of lightly worn cream coloured low heel shoes she bought from a trader at Foundation.</p><p>Running her hands over the fabric to straighten any creases, she took a breath in and headed downstairs, picking up her coat on the way as it was getting a bit colder every day.</p><p>“I’m all set!” she announced when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Beckett was pacing at the end of the room nervously, his hands fidgeting by his sides but when he turned and saw her in her best dress he froze in place and his eyebrows raised in surprise.</p><p>“W-wow, you… You look…wow”, he stumbled on his words, making Meredith grin widely in amusement.</p><p>“Thank you”, she gave a little nod before checking him out, “You clean up pretty good yourself”.  He was dressed in his best dark blue jeans, an off white short sleeve t-shirt and his worn black leather jacket; Meredith noticed that he took the time to shave and tidy his dark hair with some wax.</p><p>“You uh… ready to head out?” he approached her, taking her hand in his. Meredith gave him a nod and they both locked up behind them before making their way up the hill.</p><p>Tonight was the evening of Thanksgiving and both she and Beckett were invited to attend the party that had been organised by the settlers at Foundation. She smiled as she played back the memory of Beckett mentioning the event to her a couple of days ago; even though they were an item for about a month at this point, he sounded a little nervous as his voice stuttered when he asked her if she wanted to go.</p><p><em>“So uh… I talked to Ward today”</em>, Beckett had said, <em>“He um…Mentioned that there’s this thing…this this party they’re having in Foundation and uh…wanted to know if we’d be interested in going. I-I-I said I’d ask you first and get back to him”.</em></p><p><em>“Beckett…are you asking me out?”</em> she remembered asking coyly, watching with satisfaction as he fidgeted.</p><p><em>“W-well… Yeah… I uh, guess I am”</em>, he answered, shifting nervously on his feet.</p><p>In all her life growing up in the Vault, Meredith wondered what it would be like to live outside of the safety of the vault, to experience a warm summer’s day and cold winter showers like she’d seen in the old movies that were so popular to watch on the projector. Though she knew what to expect and understood the science of weather and climate behaviour, nothing could have prepared her for the first-hand experience. Summers were typically hot and humid in Appalachia, but if you travelled up the mountains it was more bearable and, although it was nice to feel the warmth on her skin, Meredith’s favourite season was the fall. She remembered the first time she felt a real rainfall, how refreshing and clean it made the air around them once the dark clouds moved on to grace other parts of the land with their precious water. Then her memories drifted to her parents; they were still alive when Meredith experienced her first rain. Her father was a military veteran who took to construction after being discharged on medical terms for losing a leg in the war and her mother was a doctor. They met in a hospital in Alaska where her father was taken for treatment and married within six months of meeting each other, something Meredith couldn’t get her head around when she was a young girl and her parents recounted their story. Shortly after they married they moved to her father's home in Appalachia and the rest was…well…history. As she walked up to Foundation arm in arm with Beckett, she wondered what her parents would think about the life she was leading now, with a man who used to be a member of one of the most dangerous and bloodthirsty raider gangs in the whole region…</p><p>One thing Meredith was certain about was that whatever their or anyone else’s opinions on her being with Beckett would have been, nothing would keep them from being apart; they’d been through too much together to have something as innocuous as the opinion of others keep them apart. Despite his past Beckett had made the conscious decision to change and that was something she admired about him; most people would simply shrug at the prospect of change and not even make an attempt, chalking it up to habits and not knowing how to do anything else other than be what they are. As they walked up to Foundation hand in hand, Meredith couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration and pride in him.</p><p>Even before they reached the main gate they could hear that the party had already started; music was turned up to the highest volume the little speakers on the radio could handle, groups of people were chattering and laughing as they enjoyed themselves, and a delicious aroma of food wafted over the walls to greet them, making both their stomachs rumble in anticipation. Walking through the gates Meredith was surprised to see how many people had gathered, most of who were the Foundation settlers but many others seemed to be wandering trades people, several caravans that had also set up temporary stalls to sell their wares, including the supermutant trader Grahm who seemed to be trying to calmly talk to his slightly agitated brahmin while BBQing chunks of meat on a grill.</p><p>“Don’t worry Chally, there’s no moo moo in meat cook”, he uttered, petting the beast on the head and then turning to Meredith and Beckett when they passed by to whisper “Don’t tell Chally what is in meat cook!”</p><p>“My lips are sealed”, Beckett answered, motioning a zipping movement over his mouth with a grin as they carried on past the busy traders and to the centre of the camp where they were both spotted by Jen.</p><p>“Meredith! You made it!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, “Would either of you like something to drink?”</p><p>“I’ll go get us all something”, Beckett held up a hand, “Getting people their drinks is what I know best”.</p><p>“Sounds good”, Meredith smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he walked off to one of Sunny’s stations.</p><p>“So, how are <em>things</em>?” Jen asked once Beckett was out of earshot, glancing between her and Beckett. Her question made Meredith chuckle; Jen had been curious about their relationship since she found out about them being an item.</p><p>“Good, I have no complaints”, Meredith grinned, feeling her cheeks flush, “What about you? Anyone we should know about, a secret crush, a forbidden romance?”</p><p>Jen’s brow furrowed and she shook her head emphatically, “Stop trying to deflect, you and Beckett are all everyone seem to talk about around here”.</p><p>“Really?” Meredith’s eyebrows raised in curiosity, “What’s the word around town?”</p><p>Her question made Jen feel flustered, “Oh… Nothing really, just that… It’s… You make an interesting couple”.</p><p>“Uh huh”, Meredith folded her arms in front of her chest and gave Jen a look that told her she wasn’t buying her answer.</p><p>“Honest Mere! Everyone here’s happy about you two being together. It’s just… well… I feel like we hardly talk anymore even though you now live just down the road. We used to talk a lot about… you <em>know</em>…”</p><p>“Uh huh”, Meredith grinned sheepishly, remembering the times they’d spent tucked away at one of the benches chatting about who they thought looked cute and who caught their eye when she came back from her missions. In all those times, there was only one person who seemed to catch Jen’s eye, and Meredith wondered whether this was just an attempt from her to get some advice on how to proceed.</p><p>“So you still like him”.</p><p>Jen’s ears turned red and soon her face followed suit, almost matching her auburn red hair, “…Maybe”.</p><p>“I guess that means you haven’t told him yet”.</p><p>“No… I mean…it would be weird, wouldn’t it? Him and me…together, in that way…”</p><p>Meredith shrugged, “Honestly, no. I’ve seen weird first-hand, you and Ward would be far from that”.</p><p>Meredith had known for a while that Jen had a certain attraction for Ward and caught both of them sharing glances in the past, but so far nothing had come of their mutual pining. Perhaps this was why she was so focused on her and Beckett.</p><p>“Really?” Jen asked, a relieved look crossing her features, “You think… Should I…?”</p><p>“Yeah!” Meredith nodded, placing her hands on her hips, “If he hasn’t come forward yet, then you should”.</p><p>“Oh Mere… I don’t think I could”, the flushed colour in her cheeks faded quickly at the fearful prospect of having to go up to Ward and tell him how she felt, “I’m not brave like you…not that way”.</p><p>“I disagree, I <em>know</em> you’re brave in every way. And if you really like him you should tell him. If you don’t and miss you’re chance you might regret it for a long time”.</p><p>“What do I even say?!” Jen exhaled, her eyes wide with anxiety at that prospect, “I don’t even know how…”</p><p>“It’s easy. You pick your moment when he’s not surrounded by people and say you need to tell him something important. When he has your full attention, you let him know how you truly feel and then take it from there”.</p><p>“Right now I feel like I wanna throw up”, Jen’s brow furrowed at the daunting prospect of talking to Ward in that way, “How did you and Beckett get together? Maybe it would help me with Ward if I know how you two found a way to make it happen”.</p><p>“Oh… well… I told you about that, didn’t I?”, Meredith asked uncertainly.</p><p>“No, you didn’t tell me”.</p><p>“Well… It’s uh... a bit of a funny story actually”, Meredith chuckled, “On the day I told him, Beckett was packed and ready to leave”.</p><p>“Leave? Where?” Jen asked, already interested in Meredith’s recollections.</p><p>“I don’t think even he knows where”, she chuckled, “But needless to say I changed his mind”.</p><p>“How?!”</p><p>“I reminded him about how I felt, and that I believed it was worth us giving our relationship a chance to blossom”.</p><p>“Wait… so he knew that you liked him by this point?”</p><p>“Yeah, he knew. We’d been flirting for a couple of months and then before we went to rescue his brother Frankie I just spilled everything out in the open… told him I cared about him, that I had feelings for him… I’ll admit my timing could have been better but I just wanted him to know in case…”</p><p>“In case you didn’t make it out of there”, Jen finished the sentence for her, and Meredith nodded in agreement.</p><p>“It all turned out for the best in the end”, her gaze drifted to Beckett who was still waiting in the long queue to make their order at Sunny’s, “I know now he didn’t want to be the first to act on his feelings because he was afraid to be hurt, afraid that things won’t work out. Now we’re both here together. Sometimes I can’t believe it but I’m glad I told him that day…otherwise he would have been gone and I would have spent the rest of my life wondering what if”.</p><p>Jen took a deep breath in and straightened her back, giving Meredith a nod, “Well, when you put it that way. Still, it’s a bit odd…”</p><p>“What is?”</p><p>“That you were braver than Beckett…<em>are</em> braver than Beckett I mean”, Jen answered with a coy smile, “You’d think an ex-raider wouldn’t be scared of letting someone he cares about know how he feels, especially if he knows the other person cares about them too”.</p><p>“That’s just it though, they are the ones who are most afraid. They try to hide it by being tough and all, but they’re just as afraid as we are…they simply use their fear in a different way”, Meredith answered, “So you’re going to have to be brave for both of you; if you do care about Ward in that way, you need to be the one to say it… otherwise you both might miss the opportunity”.</p><p>“And what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”</p><p>“Then you’ll know”, Meredith shrugged, “Either way, you’ll have your answer. But judging on what you’ve told me and the way Ward is when he’s around you, I have a feeling that there’s no need to worry about the alternative”.</p><p>Meredith’s words seemed to have the desired effect as Jen smiled and appeared more confident than when they first started talking about her admirer.</p><p>“Should we go see what’s taking Beckett so long?” Jen craned her head to see where Meredith’s significant other had gone.</p><p>“Nah, let’s give him some time while you and I enjoy our seat at our bench and…<em>admire</em> our beaus from afar”, Meredith countered, which was met with a bashful chuckle from Jen.</p><hr/><p>By the time Beckett had gotten through the crowds gathered around Sunny’s, he was about ready to turn around and head back home; crowds made him uncomfortable, so much so he was finding it difficult to concentrate on his order above the noise and bustling of people. It didn’t help that the Protectron robot was slow as hell to get all the orders out; there was something to be said about the human touch when it came to catering.</p><p>“I’ll uh… I’ll have… Two Nuka Colas and a uh… a beer”, he almost had to yell to get his order heard above the noise.</p><p>“Coming right up”, Sunny’s robotic voice uttered in response as it turned to collect the items in the fridge behind it. Just as he was beginning to feel the hackles on the back of his neck stand on end, he saw Ward approach him from the side for a greeting. Like everyone else in Foundation today, he was dressed in his best attire in slightly faded black jeans, a maroon and off white checked flannel shirt and a white t-shirt underneath.</p><p>“Hey, you made it”, Ward smiled and patted him on the back, “Glad you could come”.</p><p>“Yeah, we’re glad to be here”, Beckett gave him a nod, “Didn’t know it was going to be this big a party”.</p><p>“Yeah, seems our festivities have gained the attention from traders and merchants over the years that this year Paige decided it would be a good idea to get some of them to open up some stalls…just for this occasion though”, Ward added, observing the crowds that had begun to gather in Foundation, “Though I have to admit… all these newcomers make me nervous”.</p><p>“Good to know it’s not just me then”, Beckett chuckled nervously, accepting the order from Sunny and paying the sum he owed, “Oh, I wanted to thank you for that reading material you let me borrow…the stuff on…<em>y’know</em>”</p><p>“Ah, yes”, Ward gave a curt nod of understanding, “Hope they’ve proven useful”.</p><p>“Yeah! Very much”, Beckett grinned enthusiastically, “Considering I’ve started from zero when it comes to relationships, it’s helped get a better perspective on what to do and say in certain situations. It’s definitely helped with my confidence in the whole matter”.</p><p>“Glad to hear it”, Ward answered, moving away from the crowd gathering around Sunny’s to a bench near one of the trailer houses, “So... Where is Meredith?”</p><p>“Ah… I’m…not sure”, Beckett’s gaze darted to where he’d last seen her and Jen but they were no where in sight, “She was with Jen before I went to get us all drinks”.</p><p>“There, by the bench”, Ward indicated with a tip of his worn Stetson hat, but it seemed that the women had already spotted them and were both sharing coy grins at them as if they knew something the men didn’t.</p><p>“I wonder what they’re talking about”, Beckett wondered out loud and made a move to join them, but Ward placed a hand on his shoulder to draw his attention back.</p><p>“Just…wait a little while. Let’s give them a chance to catch up”.</p><p>“Ok, but…Why?” Beckett asked with a confused expression on his features.</p><p>“Didn’t you read the magazines I gave you?” Ward asked in a hushed tone, as if he were slighted that Beckett didn’t remember everything from the reading material.</p><p>“Which bit are you referring to?”</p><p>“The section about keeping them interested and building anticipation?” Ward mentioned, “Let’s give them a chance to catch up and make <em>them</em> wonder what <em>we</em> are talking about”.</p><p>“Oh…”, Beckett scratched an imaginary itch on the back of his neck and turned back to Ward, following his lead, “So, uh… what do <em>we</em> talk about then?”</p><p>Ward shrugged and quickly stole a glance over at Jen before turning his attention back to Beckett and the beer in his hand, “We don’t have to talk about anything, just give Meredith the impression that you are…you know… talking about something interesting, get her to come to you”.</p><p>“But the drinks are getting warm”, Beckett motioned to the bottles in his hand, though it wasn’t until he noticed Ward shoot another glance toward Jen that he began to piece together what was going on, “Wait wait, this… this isn’t about me and Mere… It’s about you and Jen!”</p><p>“Keep your voice down”, Ward answered in a hushed and urgent tone.</p><p>“Oh my God, how did I not see this coming?” Beckett chuckled, glancing over at Meredith and Jen who were both still sitting together and whispering in each other’s ears while shooting glances at the two men, probably planning their next strategy, “Are you two a thing then?”</p><p>“What?! No!”, Ward exhaled, taking an awkward sip of his beer and trying to act cool even though his flushed face gave him away.</p><p>“Then… what’s with all this back and forth thing?” Beckett motioned between Ward and Jen with his arms, “Just <em>go</em> ahead and tell her you’re interested”.</p><p>“I can’t do that!”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“Many reasons”, Ward folded his arms in front of his chest, a disgruntled look crossing his weathered features, “For starters, she just got reunited with her mother not two months ago… I don’t want to come between that. And besides, I’m not even certain she likes me in that way. What if I go up to her and she rejects me?”</p><p>“Oh man… you’re as clueless as I was before Mere and I got together”, Beckett commented with a shake of his head, “Listen, don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t wait for something to happen and live in fear of things between you two not working out. Luckily for me Meredith saw through my bullshit excuses and had the guts to tell me how she felt to my face, and if she hadn’t I can tell you I wouldn’t be here today. Now, you can either do something about this, or carry on with these games and get nowhere. Your choice my friend”.</p><p>Ward clenched his jaw and gulped down some of his pride, knowing Beckett was right. The two men were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice Meredith and Jen had snuck up next to them.</p><p>“You two doing alright here?” Meredith asked them, her curious gaze falling on Beckett.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah just…catching up”, Beckett grinned and handed her and Jen their Nuka Colas.</p><p>“Would you like to come join Meredith and me on the bench back there?” Jen asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.</p><p>The two men agreed but before they got half way to the bench, Ward stopped and placed his hand lightly on Jen’s arm, “Actually, could we… do you have a moment to talk... In private?” he asked.</p><p>“Sure”, Jen agreed before excusing herself, leaving Meredith and Beckett to saunter together through the settlement.</p><p>“What’s that all about?” Meredith asked curiously, her gaze following Jen and Ward until they disappeared around the corner.</p><p>“Erm, well… Ward and I got to talking and I noticed the looks he and Jen were sharing, so I…kinda…gave him a <em>nudge</em> to talk to her”, Beckett replied hesitantly.</p><p>“So he <em>does</em> like her too!” Meredith grinned cheekily, “I figured as much”.</p><p>“You knew?”</p><p>“Well yeah, Jen talks about him a lot when it’s just the two of us. And while you and Ward were having your chat, Jen and I were having <em>ours</em>”.</p><p>“Huh…go figure”, Beckett commented amusingly, then upon realising that Meredith and Jen were talking about Ward without his knowing wondered if she did the same before they got together, “Hey, d’you ever talk to Jen? You know…a-about us?”</p><p>“Yeah, though since we got together I haven’t had much time to hang out with her as we used to do”, Meredith’s cheeks blushed.</p><p>“Sooo, umm…. What do <em>you two</em> talk about then?” Beckett prodded curiously.</p><p>“Beckett!” Meredith exclaimed in embarrassment, “That’s between me and Jen. I’m sure you and Ward have your own conversations about us”.</p><p>“No we don’t!” the tone in Beckett’s voice feigned insult but Meredith knew better.</p><p>“Oh please, I know he’s been sharing relationship tips with you”, Meredith swayed her hips to bump his as they sauntered down to the bench and sat down, “I’ve seen the piles of magazines and I know for a fact that there is only one person in Foundation who would have that extensive a collection on that topic”.</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Beckett folded his arms in front of his chest, still feigning innocence that made Meredith chuckle.</p><p>“Listen, I just want you to know that you don’t need to read some old and outdated articles about being in a relationship to impress me or whatever; I already admire and love you like crazy”.</p><p>“You do?” Beckett asked with some surprise in his tone, something that perplexed Meredith as she thought he already knew.</p><p>“Of course I do”, she turned to him and placed her hand on top of his as they sat together, “Would've thought that you'd know that by now. Though if you have to ask, maybe I should be doing more to convince you”, she smiled and leaned in slowly to softly graze her lips on his and coax them to part by running the tip of her tongue between his lips. She felt a satisfied rumble in his throat as he moaned lightly in response.</p><p>“Mmm…  I’m really into what you’re layin’ down”, he grinned and ran his fingers through her hair as he went in for another passionate kiss.</p><p>As the evening went on and the Thanksgiving feasts began, Meredith and Beckett were inseparable, holding hands and often drifting into their own deep conversations, enjoying each other’s company and oblivious to how much time had gone by. Although Beckett didn’t like being in such crowded situations, Meredith helped him forget about his discomfort and he found himself actually enjoying a party for the first time in his life.</p><p>Jen and Ward emerged hand in hand not long after the feast began and as soon as news of their budding romance reached the attention of the other settlers, the table erupted in joyful laughter and conversations around them.</p><p>“I knew they would get together eventually”, Meredith smiled happily.</p><p>“Ward took his sweet time to make a move though”, Beckett added, taking a swig of his beer.</p><p>“It wasn’t <em>that</em> long”, Meredith retorted, surprised at Beckett’s response, “And as I remember it, it took <em>us</em> almost a year until we took the plunge, even with all my upfront flirting “.</p><p>Beckett chuckled and placed his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him, “Yeah, yeah… you’re right. But in my defence we ex-raiders are slow learners, you need to be <em>direct</em> with us and tell us upfront what <em>you</em> <em>want</em> or we won’t get the message”.</p><p>Meredith’s mouth gaped in disbelief only to quickly close and purse her lips at him, “I’m certain you knew <em>exaaactly</em> what message I was getting across to you. The only way I could have been <em>more</em> explicit is if I took all my clothes off and stood <em>naked</em> in front of you, and even <em>then</em> you’d probably not get the memo”.</p><p>Her response only intensified his laughter and Meredith couldn’t help but join in, remembering the back and forth flirtatious banter they used to share before they got together, the butterflies that she felt in her stomach at the prospect of seeing him again after completing his missions. Although she knew Beckett was an ex-raider, she could have sworn that there was a natural gentleman side to him when it came to matters of romance between them that he preferred remain hidden, even if his actions told a different story.</p><p>A clap of thunder above them roused the whole table, startling some of the settlers out of their seats and making the others chuckle at their fright.</p><p>“Think we should head back?” Meredith wondered out loud, her gaze turned to the sky that was darkened by the heavy and threatening clouds above them.</p><p>“Yeah, probably should”, Beckett replied, slowly getting up from his seat and eliciting a grumble from Paige who was sitting just opposite them.</p><p>“Everything alright?” he asked with a perplexed expression, “You’re not leaving now, are you?”</p><p>“Sorry Paige”, Meredith answered apologetically, “Looks like a storm’s brewing. We should be getting back to the house”.</p><p>“If it gets bad we wouldn’t want to put anyone out of their beds for the night”, Beckett reciprocated, helping Meredith with her jacket.</p><p>“Oh come now! You’re just down the road not a 5 minute walk, and even if it does end up pouring cats and dogs out there there’s plenty of space for the two of you to hunker down for the night”.</p><p>“I think they’d rather be in their own home and bed Paige”, Elsie jumped in to their defence, giving Meredith a knowing wink, “Besides, it is getting late, we should all probably think about turning in for the night too”.</p><p>Paige grumbled in response but didn’t disagree, instead he and some of the other settlers grabbed several dishes, including a whole freshly baked pumpkin pie, rib-eye steaks and roasted sweet tatos for them to take back home in a drawstring sack, waving them goodbye as they left Foundation.</p><p>“They loaded us up like Chally moo moo”, Meredith chuckled when they were making their way downhill, “Look at all this food! We’ve got enough to feed a whole family”.</p><p>“On the bright side it means I won’t have to cook for a few days. And we’ll have more time for…other things”, Beckett added in a suggestive tone that made Meredith’s cheeks blush in return.</p><p>Not even half way to the house, the heavens opened up above them and rain poured from the sky like someone up there in the sky had filled up a bucket to the brim and kicked in over. Meredith and Beckett yelped in surprise and pulled their coats above their heads to at least help keep their heads dry, but by the time they reached the covered front porch they were soaked through.</p><p>“Urgh, damn this rain!” Beckett exclaimed as Meredith got the keys out of her jacket pocket and they both rushed inside, taking off their soaked garments and tossing them in the laundry bin.</p><p>“I happen to like the rain”, Meredith commented, taking her heels off and setting them by the door, “Especially if there’s some thunder that follows it”.</p><p>Beckett shook his head, a displeased frown on his face, “If it were up to me, it’d be summer every day of the year”.</p><p>“It’s just a little rain”, Meredith chuckled as she climbed the stairs to get changed while Beckett hung his jacket on the back of a chair to dry off, took a clean shirt and trousers from one of the dressers downstairs to change into and knelt in front of the fireplace, piling some wood to get a fire going. By the time Meredith had finished getting changed into more comfortable clothes and made her way to the living room, Beckett had a nice crackling fire going and was digging into a chunk of ribeye steak.</p><p>“You can’t still be hungry?” she commented, eyebrows raised in surprise. Beckett grinned in response and carried his plate of food to their red couch in the middle of the living room so he could sit next to her.</p><p>“Got any plans for tomorrow?” he asked between bites.</p><p>Meredith shook her head, “Nope, I’ve finished all my work for the next few days”.</p><p>“Well, in that case”, Becket polished off his plate and set it aside on the coffee table, “I was thinking… How about we go and do something together?”</p><p>“Sure, what did you have in mind?”</p><p>“I dunno. We could take a picnic with us to Whitesprings, <em>or</em>…”, Beckett inched closer to her on the couch, a seductive look in his eyes as he lightly trailed his fingertips over her exposed arm, “We could just stay in all day and…enjoy… each other’s company, if you know what I mean”.</p><p>Meredith couldn’t help but chuckle at his attempts, “Hmmm… I wonder what you mean by that”, she feigned innocence. The rain outside was beginning to pick up in strength and Meredith could see out of the corners of her eyes fat rain droplets lightly batter the windows only to roll down gracefully forming little streams; together with the sound of the crackling fire warming up the house, it made her feel all cosy and relaxed.</p><p>“Oh really?” Beckett called her bluff, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him, “Maybe I just need to refresh your memory then”. He nuzzled the crook of her neck and trailed hushed kisses up from her collarbone to her lower jaw, giving her pleasing goose bumps.</p><p>“Why wait ‘til tomorrow?” she asked seductively, making Beckett’s heart skip a beat.</p><p>Beckett was more than willing to oblige her request. He let Meredith run a hand underneath his clean shirt, feeling her cool fingertips glide up his abdomen to his chest and make small, short circular motions. Knowing she wanted him as much as he her made him grin and he was happy to indulge her unspoken request. Untucking his shirt, he pulled it up over his head and tossed it onto the armchair beside the couch. Meredith pulled back slightly and seductively removed her own shirt, revealing her bare chest and perky nipples. The sight of her alone was enough to send his mind into a spin, and now with her sitting beside him half naked he couldn’t help but wonder how he ended up being such a lucky bastard.</p><p>“C’mere”, he motioned with his hands for her to come closer.</p><p>“Here?” Meredith asked, scooting closer until her body was pressed against his.</p><p>“Closer”, he smiled.</p><p>Meredith chuckled, “The only way I could get closer is if I got under your skin”.</p><p>“Mmmm wouldn’t that be something”, Beckett purred, his lips sauntering over her neck with slow and lustful kisses, “I want to feel your body pressing on mine”.</p><p>Without disturbing the caresses on her neck, Meredith moved with graceful fluidity to sit on his lap, facing away from him.</p><p>“That what you had in mind?” she asked sultrily.</p><p>“Yeah”, he breathed, his hands skilfully moving past her waist to pull her trousers off.</p><p> “Don’t you want to take this to the bedroom?” Meredith asked in amusement as Beckett flung her now free trousers away from them, but Beckett gave a little shake of his head.</p><p>“Nah. It’s nice and warm down here”, he grinned with satisfaction before leaning over the arm of the sofa to pick up a folded blanked that was draped on the chair next to them, “Here, don’t want you to get cold”, he said pulling the soft knitted fabric to cover them as they got comfortable.</p><p>“Maybe I should turn around” she suggested, wondering how they were going to be intimate with her facing away while sitting on top of him.</p><p>“No no, you stay right where you are”, he whispered in her ear, trailing his warm hands up and down her waist, “Just relax, and let me take care of you for a change”.</p><p>Meredith grinned and did as he suggested, relaxing her lithe body back onto his abdomen and chest, allowing him to caress her curves with his hands and feel the warm kisses of his lips on her neck and little playful nips on her ear. He began with his hands massaging her breasts gently, lightly circling her nipples to make them stand on end. Light moans of pleasure escaped her lips with every touch and her heart fluttered when she felt his hot breath on her neck, building up a warm sensation in her lower abdomen and between her legs. As Beckett tantalisingly progressed his way down to her sex, her body gave little involuntary twitches of anticipation. With his left arm wrapped around her waist he carried on stroking her breasts, while with his right he moved down to her pubic region, lightly stroking the soft skin of her mons and her thighs before grazing her inner lips. Her breath hitched when she felt him brush past and Beckett knew she wanted more. Every little moan and sigh that escaped her lips made his heart race and he felt his own sex pulse in anticipation. Something about the position they were in, with her sitting on top of him and facing away, made the intimacy feel more titillating and erotic, and Beckett noticed that because he wasn’t able to look directly at her features and he had to rely more on the sounds she was making and the way her body moved, it made him want to work even harder to please her. Rather than feeling a sense of urgency to get to their climax, they felt like they could relax and take things nice and slow.</p><p>The only sounds in the house were the calming crackle of the burning firewood, the patter of the heavy rain outside on the windows, and their breathing intermixed with Meredith’s sighs and moans; bathed in the warm light from the fire that cast silhouettes of their bodies onto the wall opposite them. Beckett wished that this night could last forever.</p><p>As his fingers continued to caress the soft lips between her legs, he felt her hips make small gyrating motions letting him know she was ready for more; it made his cock throb to attention and all he wanted to do was pull her hips back to align with his and feel himself become enveloped in those warm, wet lips. He sighed and let out a pleasing little rumbling groan in his throat, letting his fingers wander further south until he felt the warm, wet slick of her opening and began making gentle circular motions. Meredith’s back arched slightly and he heard her take a breath and hold it for a few moments before letting out a long sigh. She gyrated her hips a bit more forcefully this time, pushing his member to press between her soft buttocks.</p><p><em>‘Fuck she feels so good’</em>, Beckett felt his mind swim as he tried to regain control. Pushing her legs open with his thighs and feeling her feet hook behind his calves, he felt her sex open up to him. Taking hold of her hips, he pulled her slightly up and back into him, letting his fully erect and ready member sit between her legs, lightly graze her slick lips with every throb. Meredith threw her head back and was sporting a lustful grin on her luscious lips. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and moaned as he felt her breathing hasten with his every stroke; it wouldn’t be long now.</p><p>“That feel good babe?” he sighed in her ear.</p><p>“Yeah”, she breathed, lightly biting her lower lip and with a free arm reached behind her to run her fingers through his thick hair, enticing Beckett to carry on.</p><p>Beckett allowed himself to explore her sex, tantalising her with various motions switching between circular, up and down, and diagonal motions, every once in a while teasing her with his middle finger by gently pushing further past her lips and penetrating her. He could feel the intense thump of her heartbeat on his body, increasing in speed as he pushed her to her limits…until…</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>!” the words flew out from her as she reached the cusp of orgasm and felt herself lose control, grabbing a handful of Beckett’s hair. A wonderful warmth spread through her emanating from her sex and caused pulsating ripples of pleasure to flow throughout her body. Her legs felt tingly and funny, and Meredith couldn’t help but let out a satisfied and amused giggle, wriggling against Beckett’s body as she came down from her high and opened her eyes to see his dark and hungry gaze focused on her. The arm he had used to stimulate her moved away from her sex and she could feel his feverish need to quell his own desires as he pressed his engorged member between her lips. Arching her hips down slightly, she angled herself so he could enter her freely and watched his intense expression ease as she felt every millimetre of him enter her slowly. Everything felt more intense after she reached her climax, especially her sex. Even though they had been intimate countless times since they became an item, his size and girth was still something that surprised her. She was in awe how he never tired of her, never tired of wanting to be with her, to touch her, feel her, kiss her… Many couples she’d seen in the Vault and even outside in Appalachia seemed to grow weary of each other within the first couple of weeks, save for a handful few who seemed to keep the fire burning between them. She hoped that the latter was the case with her and Beckett, because she couldn’t imagine ever not wanting to have him. Being together in this intimate way was the closest she could get to being whole with him, and she relished every chance she had to feel the wonderful sensation of him inside her, feeling his engorged member fill her ever so pleasingly.</p><p>“God…you feel incredible”, he almost gasped the words as his head rolled to rest on the back of the couch.</p><p>Meredith smiled in response and twisted slightly to one side so she could kiss him, trailing the tip of her tongue over his lips and successfully coaxing a more passionate response from him, feeling another wave of warmth between her legs and her walls ripple around his cock as she felt his tongue caress hers. She loved feeling him inside her; although Beckett was a man of few words when it came to expressing his feelings, he more than made up for it in their moments of passion.</p><p>His hands roamed over her body as his hips began to thrust up and down in a steady motion. Though still facing away from him with her back pressed against his abdomen and chest, it allowed Meredith the option to stimulate herself. With one hand she began trailing the tip of her index finger around her clitoris while the other hand was free to stroke Beckett’s cock and balls; it was like a whole new experience. She felt his sex respond to her touch - his balls seemed to contract upwards, the skin went taught and she felt his member throb several times as he made short but deep thrusts inside her… he was close.</p><p>A deep moan escaped his lips as Beckett slowed to a stop, taking a moment to catch his breath while Meredith carried on stroking herself and Beckett’s hands moved up to her breasts to massage and lightly pinch her nipples. The room was beginning to feel too warm and Meredith pulled the blanket away from them, exposing them both. It wasn’t until the corner of her eye caught the uncovered windows that she realised anyone passing by or coming up to their porch could clearly see what they were up to. She was about to move to get up when Beckett stopped her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him, refusing to part with her.</p><p>“Someone’s gonna see us”, she protested, feeling vulnerable and exposed.</p><p>Beckett’s eyes flitted to the window in question but he made no move to do anything about it, “No one’s out in this weather”, he murmured between kisses, “How will I watch you playing with yourself if the curtains are pulled to?”</p><p>“You’ve…you’ve been watching me?” Meredith asked in surprise.</p><p>“Uh huh”, Beckett grinned mischievously, “Turns me on so much watching your reflection in it”.</p><p><em>‘Since he put it that way…’</em> Meredith thought in amusement, deciding that maybe having the curtains pulled away from the window wasn’t such a bad idea…and she discovered that he was right, it gave their lovemaking a more erotic feel. She relaxed back into him and continued stroking herself, watching Beckett's reflection in the window. When Beckett resumed thrusting again, she could see everything - Beckett's strong arms wrapped around her, his fingers massaging her pert breasts, the stroke of his member as he penetrated her, and it sent her mind spinning with lust and desire. Her breathing quickened and she felt herself edging closer to another orgasm. Inadvertently her legs shook and began to close, but Beckett took hold of her inner thighs with both hands and gently pried them open and increased the intensity of his thrusts. A rumbling groan caught in his throat as if he were straining against an invisible weight, which was enough to send her through the familiar whirlwind of back arching, toe curling waves of pleasure. Her fever pitched moaning very quickly brought Beckett to the precipice and he found himself holding onto Meredith tightly as if his very life depended on her. When he reached that sweet spot he lost all control, burying his face in the crook of her neck as his hips did all the work and he felt sweet release. Waves of pleasure flowed through him and he felt a high stronger than any drug; it felt as if both he and Meredith had melted and, for a brief moment, become one. </p><p>"Oh my God", Meredith breathed, her chest heaving against his body as she shivered with pleasure, "That...that was... incredible". </p><p>Slowly but surely Beckett followed suit and floated back down to Earth. His hips slowed to a few inadvertent short thrusts, sighing into Meredith's shoulder as they held each other on the couch, listening to the patter of the rain outside and the warm crackle of the fire beside them. After a few silent moments caressing and holding each other, Beckett and Meredith felt their eyelids grow heavy.</p><p>"We should get to bed", Meredith's soft voice murmured as they lay on their sides on the red couch, tucked tightly together like silt beans in their pods. </p><p>"Mmph, bed's too far", Beckett groaned, pulling the blanket back over them and tucking it around Meredith, "And besides, a couch can be a bed".</p><p>Meredith laughed and pressed herself into him, feeling his arm wrap around her small waist and his lower jaw just touch the top of her head. She was so warm and cosy that the prospect of going up to their roomy bed was unappealing. Even though the couch was a snug fit, in that moment all Meredith wanted to do was lay beside Beckett, feel the warmth of his body on her bare skin, listen to his steady breathing as her heavy eyelids closed and they both dozed contentedly, falling asleep in each other's embrace. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sweet Taboo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>An overwhelming flash of lightning illuminated Meredith and Beckett’s bedroom, jolting him awake with a start and making him almost bolt out of bed. The rolling rumble of thunder followed not long after, coming in waves and causing the thin glass of the windows to rattle. Heart racing in his chest and panting with fright, Beckett’s eyes quickly scanned the dimly lit room they were in while his arms frantically searched for Meredith. He needn’t have worried though as she was sound asleep by his side with a serene expression on her face. Heaving a long sigh of relief, Becket felt his body relax and his racing heart calmed. A cold shiver ran down his spine as images of his nightmare came flooding back in waves; he’d dreamt that he was waiting at his bar for Meredith to come back from a job, looking on down the hill expecting to see her familiar figure pop around the corner at any moment…but she never came back. Frantic and beside himself with worry, he was at a loss for what to do, until his brother Frankie came up the hill and told him Meredith was lost and in trouble in the marshlands of Appalachia and couldn’t find her way back. In his dream he tried to ask for help from Foundation, but the settlement was empty, almost as if it was abandoned. Once again he found himself alone and helpless with a heavy weight of dread in the pit of his stomach. In his dream he’d sprinted off into the wilderness, searching desperately for her while facing waves and waves of enemies that kept trying to keep him from finding her. The inconsolable terror and despair he felt at the thought of never seeing her again was still raw in his mind as he curled up next to his beloved, wrapping his arms around her body and holding her close, burying his face in her hair and taking a deep breath of her scent. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes and a sob caught in his throat, surprising him.</p><p>“Beckett?” Meredith’s groggy voice called out in the dark room.</p><p>“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” he whispered, quickly wiping the tears away from his face so she wouldn’t notice he was upset.</p><p>“No…”, she answered softly, turning around to face him with heavy eyelids, “That rolling thunder did though”.</p><p>“Hmm…me too”, he murmured, stroking the stray hairs off her face.</p><p>Meredith wiggled closer to him, burying her face under his jaw, her right arm weaving around his chest as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He held her tightly, feeling the warmth of her body against his and listened to her soft and steady breathing.</p><p><em>‘It wasn’t real, it was just a dream’</em>, he told himself, trying to quell his worry and fright. He’d never experienced such vivid and horrifying nightmares in his life; perhaps that was why he was having such a difficult time calming down. Taking a deep breath in, he pushed the awful images of the nightmare out of his mind and tried to think about nicer things. The longer he held Meredith and listened to her sleeping peacefully beside him, the easier it became to relax and ease back into sleep. He let his mind wander to happier memories of the time they’d first met, when he first noticed Meredith flirting with him and how the thought of her being interested in a guy like him made his heart flutter and gave him butterflies in his stomach. As he reminisced over the happier times he’d shared with her, his body began to relax and he gradually lulled himself to back to sleep, feeling content with Meredith safe and sound in his arms.</p><hr/><p>“It’s a good thing that it’s Beckett’s day off today”, Jen smiled at Meredith, sitting on the front porch as she was handed her hot cup of sweet tea, “That man can sleep”.</p><p>“That's kinda my fault”, Meredith answered, grinning to herself, “Well…<em>partly</em> my fault”.</p><p>“Oh”, Jen raised an eyebrow and gave Meredith a knowing look, “Well, in that case… I won’t comment any further”.</p><p>Meredith chuckled and took a sip of her own tea before moving the topic away from her and Beckett, “How are things with you and Ward?”</p><p>A week had gone by since the Thanksgiving celebration party and Meredith hardly saw Jen since then, she was curious to know how things were going between the new couple.</p><p>“Things with Ward…”, Jen pursed her lips, her gaze focused intently on the drink in her cup.</p><p>"Everything alright?” Meredith asked with concern.</p><p>“I…don’t know”, Jen’s expression turned to perplexion, “I mean, we are seeing each other, but things have been a little…<em>weird</em>”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“Uh…”, Jen scratched an imaginary itch on her forehead, “Well… I dunno how else to explain it, it feels like he’s holding back a lot of the time when we’re together. We’ve had a few moments were things got a bit…<em>passionate</em>, between us… only he would abruptly stop and pull away from me as if something were wrong”.</p><p>“Did you ask him about it?” Meredith inquired hesitantly, paying attention to Jen’s expressions.</p><p>“Yeah”, Jen gave a curt nod, “He just…apologised and said he didn’t want to move things too quickly”. There was a disappointing tone in her voice.</p><p>“Maybe he just wants you two to get to know each other better before things become…<em>serious</em>”, Meredith answered.</p><p>Jen exhaled in exasperation and shook her head, “I dunno. It makes me feel like he’s not interested, y’know?”.</p><p>“I know for a <em>fact</em> that that’s not true”, Meredith leaned forward, wanting to offer some words of comfort to her friend, “He’s clearly into you Jen. Might be he’s afraid of going too far, that you’ll think less of him”.</p><p>“That’s impossible!” Jen chuckled in amusement, “He’s the sweetest, most considerate person in Foundation. The things he’s done to protect us all, and the way he is with me… he’s such a gentleman”.</p><p>Meredith shrugged, “Well, sounds to me like maybe you both need to sit down to some tea and talk things through. Being a couple isn’t just about seeing each other every once in a while, sharing a kiss here and there; it’s a lot of patience, hard work, and compromise – and most importantly, being honest with one another”.</p><p>Jen shifted in her seat, looking somewhat uncomfortable, “You make it sound like it’s a job”.</p><p>“Well, it kinda is”, Meredith smiled, “But it can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying, if both parties know what the other wants and expects”.</p><p>“Ugh, this was supposed to be easy now!” Jen complained, making Meredith chuckle with amusement, “Like, I assumed that once a couple gets together, things move on naturally from there… the men know what to do”.</p><p>“Oh you sweet child”, Meredith answered with a wide grin, eliciting an amused eyeroll from Jen, “Nothing is that easy. As you described his behaviour with you, Ward is a gentleman. He is clearly waiting for you to make the first move”.</p><p>“But… I thought that he would… you know, <em>make</em> the move himself”, Jen answered, her cheeks flushing, “That’s what everyone says. That we should let men make the move”.</p><p>“Ha! If that were the case, there would be a lot of disappointed single women in the world”, Meredith shook her head, “Listen, you want to take things further with Ward?”</p><p>Jen nodded eagerly.</p><p>“Then you’re going to have to make the move”, Meredith leaned back in her chair and enjoyed sipping on her tea, “You wanna get some honey, you gotta work for it”.</p><p>“<em>Meredith</em>!” Jen exclaimed, her cheeks flushing bright red, but it only made Meredith chuckle even more, “You’re incorrigible”.</p><p>“Yes, I am”.</p><hr/><p>The faint sound of chatter and laughter outside the house roused Beckett out of his sleep. Stretching in their big bed and rubbing the sleep out of his eyelids, Beckett awakened enough to notice that he was alone in the bed with the covers haphazardly covering his mostly naked body. He propped himself on one arm and listened to the chatter outside; once his drowsy mind realised it was Meredith and Jen having an animated chat on the porch, he relaxed back on the bed and smiled contentedly.</p><p>Though the nightmare he’d experienced sometime in the twilight hours of the morning still felt raw and fresh in his mind, he knew that Meredith was safe.</p><p>Taking his time getting out of bed, he also listened to the conversations Jen and Meredith were having outside; as he listened, he was surprised when the conversation of topic focused on Jen and Ward, more specifically that Jen was feeling frustrated with how things were progressing between the two of them. He knew he shouldn’t be listening in on their private conversation, but his curiosity always got the better of him.</p><p>“Ward – a gentleman?” Beckett chuckled quietly to himself. Being an ex-raider, Beckett knew full well what kind of scenarios could possibly be playing out in Ward’s mind to make him react that way; he himself had a similar reaction. It wasn’t until Meredith brought down that wall between them that he felt he could express his hunger for her. Still, even though he knew Meredith loved him, he felt like he had to control that burning hunger within so as not to terrify her. Though Ward and Beckett were two different people, they were both once raiders, and Beckett knew how raiders thought when it came to these matters. </p><p>Donning his garments at a leisurely pace, Beckett checked the time on Meredith’s pocket watch sitting on the bedside table and almost winced when he saw it was just gone half past 9 in the morning.</p><p><em>‘Good thing it’s your day off Beckett’</em>, he scolded himself before leisurely making his way downstairs to cook up a breakfast. By the time he’d reached the ground level, he noticed the chatter outside had died down and decided it would be impolite not to make his presence known. He opened the main door and saw Meredith sitting with Jen at the little white metal table on the porch.</p><p>“Hey Beckett”, Jen smiled and offered a little wave at him, “Hope we didn’t wake you”.</p><p>“’Mornin’”, he nodded and offered a friendly smile, “I figured it was about time I got myself outta bed. Anyone up for some breakfast?”</p><p>Both women shook their heads and thanked him for his offer before he excused himself to the kitchen. By the time he’d finished making his meal – scrambled eggs, a skillet grilled tato and some slivers of radstag meat – the women had finished their little catch-up and Jen waved them both goodbye.</p><p>“So, how’s Jen doing?” Beckett asked as he moved to the dinner table in the back of the living room.</p><p>“She’s doin’ alright”, Meredith answered, pouring herself another cup of sweet tea before taking a seat opposite him, “Sleep ok?”</p><p>Beckett hesitated for a second before answering, “Yeah… yeah, you?”</p><p>“That thunder early in the morning woke me up”, she said, “But other than that, yeah. Slept pretty good”.</p><p>“You uh… got any plans for today?” Beckett asked warily. With the details of his nightmare still fresh in his mind, he hoped that she didn’t have to go run any errands away from Foundation.</p><p>“Nope, not really. Just have to finish some weapon repairs for the guards up at Foundation but they’re an easy fix”, she replied, eyeing him up, “Why? You got something in mind?”</p><p>Beckett finished his meal and pushed his plate to the side, swallowing the last mouthful of scrambled eggs and radstag before answering, “I dunno, was thinking we just stay home all day…<em>maybe</em> go up to Foundation later in the evening”.</p><p>“Stay home all day?” Meredith raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Beckett to want to lounge around in the house all day; on his days off he would usually suggest going down to the lake for a swim, or going for a walk to White Springs to take pot shots at the feral ghouls before the automated robotic defences kicked in, “You sure? Sounds like you might get bored”.</p><p>“Hmm”, he grinned mischievously and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, “Not if we’re both at home…naked”.</p><p>Meredith couldn’t help but chuckle at his suggestion, “Really? You’re not tired after our little…you know…last night?”</p><p>“Babe, I could go all day and all night with you if you wanted to”, he cocked his head slightly to the side and licked his lips as he devoured her with his eyes, making Meredith blush.</p><p>“Well, in that case…”, she pushed back her chair as she stood up and sauntered over to his side, straddling him in his seat and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, “What do you say we make a start now?”</p><p>He let her run her fingers through his hair, savouring her touch with a sigh and leaned into her, softly pressing his lips to hers. With a gentle coax of his tongue he persuaded her to part her own lips, tasting the sweetness of the tea she had recently finished. His hands wandered to her buttocks, stretching his fingers so he could take hold of and squeeze as much of her plump derrière as he could, making Meredith moan in response. Suddenly an overwhelming urge to pick her up and set her onto the table, rip both their clothes off, pin her arms above her head and drive into her again and again drowned out any other thoughts in his head…</p><p><em>‘Get a hold of yourself Beckett’</em>, he reprimanded himself, knowing that if he let his desires free it could turn unpleasant and hurt her. The concentration on his face must have been intense because Meredith pulled away and gazed at him in concern.</p><p>“Hey, you alright?”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah…” he exhaled quickly, softening his expression instantly.</p><p>“You sure?” Meredith grew concerned, “Something on your mind?”</p><p>Beckett chuckled and moved his arms up around her waist, pulling her close to him, “I’m fine, really… I was just thinking…”</p><p>“Oh?” she raised her eyebrows, curious to know more, “About what?”</p><p>“How much I want you”, he gazed deeply into her eyes, “How…<em>overpowering</em> that want feels sometimes”.</p><p>A sultry grin spread on her soft lips, “Mmm, it did look intense”.</p><p>“You have <em>no</em> <em>idea</em>”, he chuckled and shook his head, part of him feeling self-conscious of the thoughts he was harbouring.</p><p>“Well, then maybe you could tell me about it?” she leaned into him, twisting her hips ever so lightly over his and arousing him even more. The thought of letting her know what he was imagining was tantalising, but he worried that she would disapprove and think less of him.</p><p>“I uh… I dunno”, he hesitated, “I'm not sure you’d like it”.</p><p>“Okay, now I <em>have</em> to know”, she looked at him curiously, “Spit it out”.</p><p>Beckett felt his body stiffen in anticipation of a negative reaction from her, “Well… Sometimes I just, I-I can’t… I dunno”, he tripped over his own words, trying to find a good way of phrasing his thoughts, “I get this…this overpowering urge to just… <em>have</em> you”.</p><p>The sultry look in Meredith’s eyes deepened and she seemed to be into what he was laying down, “Tell me about it”.</p><p>“Like just now, while we were making out… I wanted to pick you up and pin you to the table, rip off your clothes and take you…<em>hard</em>”.</p><p>Instead of getting the negative reaction he was expecting, Meredith seemed to be into it.</p><p>“Really? On this table?”, she turned back to eye the furniture up, as if trying to determine something, “Hmm… Don’t see why not”.</p><p>“What?” Beckett asked.</p><p>“The table -  don’t see why it wouldn’t be able to hold up to what you’re suggesting”, Meredith answered, making Beckett’s ears and face flush, “And if it doesn’t…well, I could always make us a new one”.</p><p>“You… You’re serious?” Beckett chuckled hesitantly, his eyes widened in surprise.</p><p>Meredith cocked an eyebrow at him and gave him a look that suggested she wasn't kidding.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t I be?”</p><p>“Because… I dunno, because I didn’t think you’d be into…<em>that</em> kind of intimacy”, Beckett answered.</p><p>“Listen, as long as it doesn’t involve anything weird or messed up like an animal sacrifice or something, I’m down for it”, she answered, surprising Beckett with her candour and how open she was to trying new ways of being intimate with him.</p><p>“You…you’d be into it?” he asked.</p><p>Meredith nodded affirmatively, “Yeah”.</p><p>“Just to be clear, you’d be okay with me being a little…rough with you?”, he added hesitantly.</p><p>“You should know by now that I like trying new things, especially with you”, she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and grinned seductively, “Long as we both know what we’re getting into and we know our limits, then it’s good as far as I’m concerned”.</p><p>“Well then… would you like a demonstration?” Beckett asked, feeling his heart racing in his chest and that familiar sensation of his senses being overwhelmed simmering close to the surface.</p><p>Meredith scanned around, her eyes looking to the windows to see if anyone happened to be coming nearby. When she was sure there would be no interruption, she gave Beckett a curt nod and he felt the raw desires that had been bubbling in his thoughts for months now finally unleashed…</p><hr/><p>Beckett was a strong man - that was a fact Meredith never doubted; but when he grabbed her by the small of her waist and with one fluid motion picking her up off of his lap and set her on the edge of the table with a light thud, it caught her a little off guard. She let out an small yelp of surprise, and felt something primal within her stir at the fierceness of his body language as he pressed himself to her, his tall body looming over her petite frame. She knew Beckett would never hurt her, but she was also very aware that he was a lot stronger than her; he could do whatever he wanted to her and that made Meredith’s heart race in her chest.</p><p>The intensity of his stare made her want to look away, but as soon as he noticed her eyes straying from his dark gaze he reached out with his right hand and clasped his fingers firmly around her lower jaw, directing her attention back to him. Before she had a chance to say anything, he reached down and ripped her shirt clean off her body, tossing the tattered remains to the ground and examining her bare torso shivering slightly in the cool room. Her breath hitched when his eyes came back up to meet hers, the intensity softening somewhat when he saw her concern.</p><p>“I’m not gonna hurt you”, he spoke in a low and reassuring tone and Meredith’s body relaxed slightly at his promise. She allowed herself to let go, to let Beckett wash over her with an intense passion she’d not experienced before.</p><p>With his grip on her lower jaw softening, he ran the soft pad of his thumb over her plump lips, coaxing them open. For a brief moment he seemed to stand over her, savouring the sight of her before him, before his grip on her lower jaw tightened again and gently turned her head slightly to one side to expose the side of her neck. At this point Meredith had no idea what to expect anymore; her heart raced faster in her chest, breathing quickened to a light pant, but she also felt something stir inside her core. She wanted him more than anything, wanted to see and feel what he would do next, and the thought of being at his mercy both frightened and thrilled her.</p><p>Letting out a low rumble in his throat, Beckett leaned forward and began caressing the side of her neck with his lips, trailing soft kisses down from her lower jaw to her collarbone. Meredith closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation, feeling her nipples stand erect. She felt him firmly press his free hand on her waist, slowly and seductively going up her torso to find her pert right breast. His fingers wrapped around the soft skin, squeezing until it became just a little uncomfortable and her body twitched in response. Immediately she felt his grip ease to a much more pleasant pressure while his thumb and index fingers slid to her hard nipple and rubbed it apologetically. The sensation was so pleasing she felt the familiar warmth building between her legs. Exhaling with delight, her head relaxed back slightly, allowing Beckett to bury his face in the crook of her neck, taking in a deep breath of her scent before the hand that was on her breast moved down to her jeans to expertly undo the fastenings. With a couple of wilful tugs he got her loose jeans and underwear down to her knees, and with another swift movement pulled them off her completely. Meredith grinned in amusement before Beckett placed a hand on her chest and directed her to lay on her back. Once in position and still feeling unsure of what was to come, she felt him move down between her legs and hitch her legs up over his shoulders. The surface of the table was cold, giving her skin goosebumps and making her body shiver lightly every so often, though her attention was quickly distracted by a warmth between her legs as Beckett proceeded to use his tongue to satisfy her. Licking his way to her pleasure, Meredith writhed and moaned in response to his movements. Apart from the intensity at the start, Meredith thought their intimate love making was going as it normally does, though that could change at any moment. Beckett insisted that Meredith always cum first before he made any move to come inside her, which was something that she was not about to question; but it made her wonder what would happen after. Would he be as sweet and soft as he normally was, or was she about to see the full intensity of his passion come out?</p><p>A low rumbling moan, almost like a growl, brought Meredith back to reality and she noticed that the anticipation of what was awaiting her was distracting her thoughts away from the present and making her take longer to cum. Luckily Beckett knew exactly what to do to move things along. Using his middle finger, he began making small circular motions at her opening while his tongue worked hard stroking her clit in tantalising circles just the way she liked. Her breath hitched and she grabbed the corners of the table, feeling her knuckles go yellow with her tight grip on the rough and thick wood. With a slow movement she felt his middle finger penetrate her in an unfluctuating twisting motion. She felt her insides burn hot and her walls flutter around his finger. Chest heaving with every breath, Meredith succumbed to the wonderful sensations that he was unleashing on her body until she felt herself reach the precipice and an explosion released within her. A sharp inhale and she was there, her back arched as the waves of bliss pulsated through her body, feeling like she lost control and every part of her being saturated with a lust and desire that could only be quelled one way.</p><p>With her mind still swimming with the aftereffects of her climax, Meredith peered through heavy lidded eyes and saw Beckett appear in her line of sight again, pressing his body against hers. The corners of his lips turned up in a mischievous grin, Beckett planted his lips hard onto hers and Meredith could feel him moving closer between her legs. She heard the zip of his jeans being undone and then the familiar pressure of his groin against hers. She didn’t resist, just lay there panting and recovering from her climax that made her sex pulsate with satisfaction and crave him even more.</p><hr/><p>Satisfied with making Meredith cum with such a crescendo, Beckett quickly picked up Meredith’s legs and hitching them over his shoulders, he grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her to him. There was only one thought that was in his mind, one urgent need that he had to fulfil – and that was to feel himself inside her, to feel her warmth, her heartbeat within.</p><p>With one hand he guided his member to her opening, relishing the sensation of her wet and warm lips ready for him. Her body gave inadvertent twitches as he stroked his head over the length of her sex before pressing his head between the curtains of her lips, feeling for her opening.</p><p>He grunted when he felt her flesh give way and his head enter her, her walls pulsating around him as if she were pulling him deeper inside. Running his hand hungrily up her torso, he wrapped his fingers around her lower jaw and directed her attention to him. Only when her blue eyes connected with his did he push forward as deep as he could go, eliciting a pleasing whimper from his lover. Once he was fully sheathed, he calmed himself enough to make sure she was still up for what was about to come.</p><p>“Mere… are you sure?” he asked her one more time, wanting to make certain that she hadn’t changed her mind about what she was getting into.</p><p>“Yes”, she sighed, looking up at him with hungry and pleading eyes, “I’m yours”.</p><p>Beckett straightened his back and tightened his grip on her hips to keep her in place as he pulled out slowly before quickly driving his tingling cock back inside her, forcing more of himself into her and at the same time feeling his erection grow. He wasn’t going to hurt her, he’d never liked it when he saw the others abuse the women; but there was a need inside him, animalistic in nature, that burned for her…to have her raw, to satiate the anguish he longed for her. In truth, even when he was with her, inside her, he wanted more; it never felt like enough, but this was one way to ease that need.</p><p>He felt his blood rush through his body like a turbulent river, propelled by his racing heartbeat to his skin and groin as his body strained with the effort of keeping a fast and steady pace. The table creaked with every movement, an outcry to its abuse, but Meredith encouraged him to continue with her loud moans and gasps that escaped her delicious lips, dispersed every once in a while with a guttural groan or exhale from him. Reaching his fever pitch, Beckett leaned into her pressing some of his weight on her mons and lower stomach to help balance him while his hips carried on their fast paced and hard thrusting. He let go of her hips and wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tightly to him. He was a machine, muscles rippling with every movement he made; the veins in his arms, neck and around his mons full of precious blood budding up on his skin. Just as he felt he was reaching the tipping point he slowed to a stop and hovered over Meredith, eyes shut tight and chest heaving with every breath as he concentrated hard on not releasing his load just yet.</p><p>“You alright?” he heard her voice call to him and the familiar touch of her hands and fingertips trailing soothing patterns on his shoulders and through his hair.</p><p>“Yeah”, he exhaled, giving a nod of additional affirmation, “Don’t want to cum yet”.</p><p>“Oh”, there was a mix of relief and disappointment in her voice, enough to make him want to open his eyes again.</p><p>“You doing alright?”</p><p>Meredith smiled with satisfaction and craned her head up to kiss him, giving his lips a quick lick that made his cock throb before she relaxed back onto the table, “More than alright. That felt so good”.</p><p>He exhaled a chuckle and rested his head on her chest in relief, “Well then, I’ll carry on… soon as I calm myself down a little”.</p><p>Beads of sweat peppered his skin as he gave himself a few moments of respite. He soon carried on with a similar feverish pace, stopping every once in a while to stop himself from releasing too quickly so he could savour her. He felt her move slightly below him, angling her hips in different ways until she found her sweet spot; soon as she did he immediately saw a change in her. It was as if the wild need he was experiencing had spread to her; like the flip of a switch, the sweet and gentleness in her eyes was replaced with a hunger and a loud whine escaped her throat as he thrust into her. Her insides tightened and rippled around his erect member, pulling him further inside her.</p><p>‘<em>Fuck</em>!’ he thought as he realised if he didn’t take a pause now he would be done for.</p><p>“Don’t stop”, she commanded, nails digging into his upper arms as she wrapped her legs around his hips. By the intense look on her face she was close too. It was an order he couldn’t refuse.</p><p>With a final effort Beckett drove into her again and again, the base of his cock stroking her clit. Beckett shouted as he felt a roar of divine pleasure release from within himself and Meredith squirmed underneath not long after as her legs tighten around his waist and her hips bucked. When he looked down he could see the same waves of delight that were coursing within him being shared by her; she’d cum a second time.</p><p>The urge had been begging to be released was quelled…for now.</p><p>“See?” Meredith sighed, “Didn’t have to worry about me not liking this”.</p><p>Beckett grinned and sighed, shifting his weight to his elbows as he came up to press his lips to hers.</p><p>“Now that I know you like it, I won’t hold back in the future”, he added teasingly, making Meredith chuckle. She wiggled from under him and picked up his shirt, pulling it over her head and let the loose material hang over her body like a dress that just skimmed over her intimate area and barely covered her attractive derriere. If he wasn’t so spent, the mere sight of her in his shirt would have sent him into a frenzy.</p><p>“How the hell’d I get so lucky to have you, huh?” he asked out loud with a sheepish grin on his face, walking up to her and pulling her to him. She rose up to her tiptoes and embraced her lips with his, softly and tenderly before giving his lower lip a light and playful nip.</p><p>“I seem to recall it took a bit of enticing and encouragement from me”, she answered and Beckett couldn’t help but chuckle at her response. She wasn’t wrong; if Meredith hadn’t persuaded him to stay those months ago, who knows where he could have ended up now. One thing was certain if he chose the alternative – he would have regretted not taking her up on her offer for the rest of his life.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Mad Maddox</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late afternoon when a traveller approached Beckett on his return from a supply run from Charleston. He had reached the base of the mountain path several miles out of Foundation when the man rushed to him. Wary of the stranger initially, Beckett pulled his pistol out and aimed it at the man.</p><p>“If you know what’s good for you, you’d turn around and head back where you came from pal”.</p><p>“Beckett! It’s me!” the man stumbled out from the brushes holding his arms away from his sides in a non-threatening display, “Don’t…don’t you remember?”</p><p>Beckett’s gaze honed in on the man, examining him in the late afternoon light. Though he was filthy, skinny and dressed in rags, there was something in his features that was familiar.</p><p>“It’s me man! Louis….don’t you remember?”</p><p>“Holy shit”, Beckett muttered under his breath when he recognised him, slowly lowering his weapon, “Louis?... What… what’re you doing all the way out here?”</p><p>“I need your help Beckett”, Louis answered in a hushed tone, “They got my brother man… They’re gonna kill him if I don’t pay up, Beckett you gotta help me!”</p><p>“S-slow down. Who’s got your brother?”</p><p>“Maddox!”</p><p>Beckett could feel the colour drain from his face at the mention of that name. During his time in the Blood Eagles, there was no shortage of crazies and blood thirsty maniacs…but Mad Maddox was not an ordinary Blood Eagle. The cruellest of the bunch with a bloody mean streak, Maddox gained the moniker Mad Maddox for his unpredictability and truly psychotic behaviour, which he used to keep the other Blood Eagles in line by lashing out at even the most loyal of followers. His behaviour was only mildly tempered when he caught the eye of Star, another insane Blood Eagle that was thankfully now out of the picture.</p><p>“Alright, alright let’s…follow me, got a place up the mountain where you’ll be safe. We’ll sit you down and you can tell me all about it. Yeah?”</p><p>Louis nodded, his shaky body coming out of the shade of the trees and following Beckett up the mountain. Beckett could feel his old friend’s pleading eyes flit to him every once in a while as if hoping he would say something that would make his situation all better, but the truth was Beckett didn’t know if he could help. Maddox was a crazy son of a bitch that everyone knew not to mess with, let alone wander near his territory.</p><p>By the time they’d got up to Meredith’s house, Louis was barely able to get up the short flight of steps onto the porch and Beckett scrambled up some food for him, setting it on a plate at the intricately wrought white iron porch table. Pulling up a chair to sit opposite him, he watched as the man wolfed down handfuls of food, his eyes as wide as saucers when he saw what Beckett had brought for him. Seeing him in the baggy rags that hung on his body so loosely, his face gaunt with dark circles around his sunken eyes, balding patches on his scalp from the lack of food and most likely radiation exposure haunted Beckett. This was a shell of a man that he used to know from back in his raiding days, and Beckett couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to him after all those years.</p><p>“Take it easy there, don’t want you upsetting your stomach”, Beckett advised as he watched him scoff down the food.</p><p>“I haven’t…had food… real food… in so long”, Louis spoke between mouthfuls, his gaunt cheeks struggling to keep up with the influx.</p><p>“I can see that”, Beckett answered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “Wha-what happened? Last time I saw you, you… you were with Edwin’s Gang”</p><p>Louis nodded, his gaze still fixated on the plate of food, “Mhm”.</p><p>“How did you….What happened?”</p><p>“Blood Eagles”, Louis’s gaze flitted to Beckett before focusing back on the food, “They came, drove us out from the Mire and pushed us into the Bog. Got cornered by supermutants for a while, before those bots at Watoga took out more than half my group. We were holed up in Fort Defiance for a while”.</p><p>Beckett’s stomach dropped like a stone; Fort Defiance was a cess pool of some of the worst monstrosities, including scorchbeasts.</p><p>“I’m sorry Louis”, Beckett exhaled, running his fingers roughly through his hair, “But…how did you get out? And how did your brother get captured?”</p><p>“Wasn’t long until our supplies ran out at the Fort. In our desperation to find more food, one of the guys opened up the Eastern wing and…what came out of there…”, his voice shook with fear and Beckett could see Louis tremble, “It tore through us like we were nothing”. Louis took several breaths to compose himself before he finished, “We ran for our lives, fast as we could…only we ran straight into a group of Blood Eagles…into Maddox’s territory. That was almost a year ago. We escaped, taking a stash of caps and supplies with us, but… that was a mistake. They’ve been hunting us ever since, finding only a few days of respite when we managed to find good hiding locations”.</p><p><em>‘Shit’</em>, Beckett thought, clenching his jaw while his mind imagined what horrors he and his brother must have been put through. He sat there in silence and listened to Louis finish recounting the journey they’d been on of trying to escape being hunted by Mad Maddox’s Blood Hounds, as they were called. He found out that a few days ago they were cornered in Sutton and Louis’s brother was captured while attempting to find a hiding location. All Louis could do was hide inside an air vent in one of the dilapidated houses, listening in horror as the Blood Hounds found, captured and took away his brother.</p><p>“Do you know where they took him?”</p><p>“Lewisburg… The Mansion”, Louis answered in a trembling voice.</p><p>“Shit”, he muttered under his breath, mind swimming with possible rescue attempt ideas and how he could approach the area undetected. The problem was Mad Maddox and his blood thirsty maniacs had the higher ground there and would undoubtedly spot them a mile away; a rescue attempt would have to be done when they had the cover of night. The smoke billowing from the burning mines nearby would also provide additional cover for them not to be detected. Beckett reassured Louis that he would do everything he could to help his brother and took him up to Foundation for the doctor to look him over and so he could settle for the night. While Louis was getting the care he needed, Beckett went back to the house and began prepping everything he would need for the trek to Lewisburg and for the inevitable firefight he would find himself in.</p><hr/><p>A cool evening breeze was coming in from the West when Meredith finally got back home. The day had been long and she was looking forward to spending some time with Beckett, relaxing on their porch with a cold drink, but when she reached the base of the steps she was surprised to see the bar closed and Beckett nowhere in sight.</p><p>“Beckett?” she called out as she went inside. He wasn’t in the living room or in the floor above them. It wasn’t until she heard a loud clanging in the shed outside and Beckett’s familiar voice cussing at himself for dropping what sounded like her toolbox. Amused and curious to see what he was up to, she gingerly approached the shed and peered inside. It was unusual for Beckett to be in the workshop; if anything needed repairing or building it was Meredith who took up the task.</p><p>“Hey, you alright?” she called from the doorway, making Beckett jump.</p><p>“Hey! Hey…”, he exclaimed in surprise.</p><p>“Whacha doin’?” Meredith eyed him up curiously and the box of tools he had strewn on the floor and her tool bench.</p><p>“I uh, I-I just needed…y’know…”, he gestured broadly with a hand at the tool bench, “Looking for the ammo crafter”.</p><p>“Okay”, Meredith cocked an eyebrow and entered the shed, “What’s really going on?”</p><p>Beckett pursed his lips, shook his head and gave her a strained smile in an attempt to convince her it was nothing; but there was no fooling her. Besides, Beckett was never a good liar, his body language always betrayed him.</p><p>“I’m going to Lewisburg”, he stated plainly.</p><p>“Lewisburg? When?” Meredith shook her head in surprise.</p><p>“Tonight”.</p><p>Meredith’s eyes widened in disbelief, “What’s so important that you have to be in Lewisburg tonight?”</p><p>“I have to help out an old friend’s brother”, Beckett confessed, “I just need some more ammo for the trip, y’know…just in case I run into some radstags or molerats”.</p><p>“But you know we keep the spare ammo in the drawers here”, Meredith went over to the long metal floor cabinet and pulled the ammo drawer open only to see that most of the 0.308, 0.45 and 0.50 ammo was gone, “Uh…Beckett, where’s all the ammo?”</p><p>Beckett’s shoulders slumped…he knew that if she came back before he left that he was going to have to tell her. He started his story from the beginning, how he ran into Louis on his way back from a supply run and the story that Louis recounted on everything he had been through, that his brother had been captured by Mad Maddox and taken to Lewisburg to as payment for Louis stealing from him, and that his brother would most likely be killed tonight if he didn’t do something about it.</p><p>“I can’t just sit back and do nothing Mere”, Beckett exhaled, “What things were the other way around and it was Frankie out there?! I can’t just sit here and do nothing”.</p><p>Meredith listened intently to his words and sympathised, knowing that Beckett wanted nothing more than to help others who were made to suffer by the Blood Eagles. As she listened, she began to realise that there was no changing his mind – he was going to go and help rescue a friend.</p><p>“Alright, where we going to exactly?” she asked, moving through the shed to collect other items they might need, including the Chinese stealth suit she’d put together with Jen’s help.</p><p>“N-no! There’s no way you’re coming with me!” he protested but Meredith wasn’t in the mood to argue.</p><p>“If this Maddox is as bad as you say he is, then you’ll need all the help you can get”, she pulled out a duffle bag from one of the storage closets and began filling it with supplies.</p><p>“Mere, please. If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I would do with myself”, he inched closer to her, a pleading look in his eyes, “Just…just stay here and let Ward know what’s going on. Chances are I might be bringing back unwanted company on our return”.</p><p>“And I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you”, Meredith shook her head and met his pleading gaze with her own stubborn and determined one, “Besides, this is no different than when I used to go carry out the missions you planned to take down the Blood Eagles. Haven’t run into any problems then, and I don’t intend to break that streak”.</p><p>“Mere”, Beckett began to say but was abruptly interrupted by Meredith.</p><p>“I’m going with you, so don’t try to argue or change my mind”, she stopped and faced him, folding her arms defiantly over her chest.</p><p>"I was just going to say...thank you", he added, a smile of relief and gratefulness spreading on his lips</p><p>“You're welcome", Meredith returned his smile, "Now, let’s see what we can do about weapons”.</p><hr/><p>Making their way under the cover of night, Beckett and Meredith arrived in Lewisburg just over an hour after they set off from the house. Setting themselves down at a cliff side overlooking the bare bones of the Unfinished Mansion about a mile away from them, Beckett and Meredith got to work loading their weapons and Meredith changed out of her clothes and donned the Chinese stealth armour. Once on, she picked out her weapons and picked up some frag mines to set around the base of the building in case she needed a diversion. They had already hashed out a plan on the way and, though it took some convincing on her part, Beckett agreed that he would stay behind and keep watch on the cliff top while Meredith went in using the stealth suit.</p><p>“You alright?” he asked in a hushed tone, his intense gaze focused on her, “There’s still time to change the plan”.</p><p>Meredith shook her head, “No, this is our best chance of getting Louis’s brother out. I’ll go in quietly, get a lay of the area and find him”.</p><p>“They’ll most likely have him locked in a small room or closet. Keep an eye out for any guards”, Beckett advised while handing her a walkie talkie, “And if things go south, get out of there as fast as you can. I’ll be here to cover your back if you’re bringing company”.</p><p>She nodded and accepted the communication device, securing it inside her suit.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I won’t be long”, she leaned in and kissed him.</p><p>“I always worry”, he answered, holding onto her for a while before letting go and watching her stealthily traverse the scorched and blackened earth in the direction of the tall structure ahead.</p><hr/><p>The Unfinished Mansion... what a fitting name. It would have been a regal structure had its construction been completed before the bombs dropped those many decades ago; instead it was a skeleton of a building, as tall as the Garrahan and the Hornwright Estate buildings. As Meredith got closer to it, she felt a sense of dread deep in her pit and left a sour taste in the back of her throat. The metal bones that held the building up creaked and groaned hauntingly above her and judging by the disarray and blatant disregard for life with haphazardly strewn decapitated and flayed corpses around the grounds, there was no denying that there was a vicious gang of Blood Eagles that had settled here. Meredith had to hold her breath and keep her eyes averted to avoid being violently ill at the mere sight of the poor souls who found themselves so unlucky. Luckily for her there were only a handful of guards around the ground floor who were simple to avoid. She skilfully hid some mines around the area, taking a mental note of where she left them so that she wouldn’t run into one of her own traps on the way out. It wasn’t until she got up to the top floor where she realised things might not go as smoothly as she anticipated. The hallways always had at least one Blood Eagle patrolling through, there were several others who were dozing on weathered sun beds, others more in the floor above who seemed to be having a raucous game of cards. </p><p><em>‘Time for a diversion’</em>, she thought, slyly making her way to the balcony. Peering down, she noticed one of the Blood Eagle guards hovering a few paces away from where she placed a mine. Picking up an empty beer bottle, she tossed it at a rocky outcropping behind it to catch the guard’s attention. A few seconds later she saw it shatter on the rocks. It had the intended effect as Meredith saw the guard’s attention fixate on the location where the bottle smashed. She watched him warily inch closer to the outcropping, slowly but surely making his way toward the mine, until….</p><p>The intensity of the explosion sent concussive ripples through the air, rattling the old bones of the groaning building and rousing the attention of the Blood Eagles. Safe in the stealth cloak of her suit, Meredith hid in the nook of a wall and listened as most of the armed Blood Eagles on the floor she was on rush down to the ground floor. This was her chance!</p><p>Searching every nook and cranny, Meredith stealthily made her way through the first floor but found no evidence of Louis’s brother.</p><p><em>‘He must be on the top floor’</em>, she thought in dismay. Hastily making her way up the stairs before she ran into a guard, Meredith snaked her way through the hallways and rooms, listening to the commotion that was going on.</p><p>“The fuck is going on down there?!” a gruff man’s voice hollered a dozen or so feet away from her, making her almost jump. She heard the faint and familiar crackling of a radio answer back.</p><p><em>“Jessy’s dead, blow to little pieces”</em>, another man’s voice answered through the speakers.</p><p>“How many times do I have to tell you pricks – don’t. <em>FUCK</em>. with. me”, Meredith heard the first voice growl back into the radio as she proceeded to the other rooms, the familiar rush of adrenaline coursing through her. Her focus was crystal clear, ears and eyes open to any unwanted attention and patrolling guards. Heading to the north easterly side of the floor away from the congregating group of Blood Eagles until she came upon the master bedroom. Sliding through the slightly ajar door, she surveyed the area – the room was a mess, all cabinets were broken into and some of the cabinet doors were barely hanging on by their last remaining hinge, the bed was tattered, and the whole room was filthy with the floors strewn with ripped up newspapers and magazines. Meredith was running out of places to search for the prisoner – if she couldn’t find him here, it was most likely that they may have taken him to another location.</p><p>An almost inaudible whimper emanated from what Meredith assumed was a bathroom. Senses heightened with the adrenaline coursing through her, she followed the source of the sound and went into the room. It was empty.</p><p><em>‘Come on… where are you?’</em> she began to wonder frantically, knowing she was losing her window of opportunity.</p><p>A shuffling sound caught her attention and she felt her body stiffen. By the sound of it, it was coming from inside a wall. Meredith approached it and felt around, noticing seams running from top to bottom in the metal wall panels that made up the bathroom walls. She felt her fingers catch onto a gap as if it had been purposefully made by multiple rough handling. Fingers tightening around the gaps, Meredith pulled the panel gently, prying it open after a couple of tugs; when she looked inside she was horrified to see an emaciated man looking up at her in terror, his arms tied up behind his back and his mouth gagged painfully with a thick piece of cloth. He whimpered in fear when he saw her and pressed himself into the solid concrete wall behind him, shaking his head and pleading for mercy with his eyes.</p><p>“Easy, I’m here to rescue you!” Meredith reassured him in an urgent and hushed voice, “I’m not gonna hurt you”.</p><p>The man seemed to calm and looked at her quizzically while she removed his gag.</p><p>“Are you Johnny? Louis’s brother?”</p><p>The man looked at her with incredulity, blinking a few times before hesitantly nodding in affirmation.</p><p>“Where’s Louis?”</p><p>“He’s safe, with my friends”, Meredith answered, “I’ll take you to him, but we gotta be quiet and move quickly, ok? There’s a group of Blood Eagles on this floor we need to sneak around so I need you to stick close to me”.</p><p>Again Johnny nodded hesitantly and seemed to look around them as if he was expecting someone else to be with her.</p><p>“Is Beckett here?”</p><p>“He’s nearby”, Meredith answered quietly, taking Johnny by the arm and leading him the same path she used to get to him.</p><p>“Where?”</p><p>“Outside waiting for us. Now please be quiet Johnny, we can talk later”.</p><p>“No, no…it was supposed to be Beckett”, Johnny shook his head, confusing and worrying Meredith, “It wasn’t supposed to be you”.</p><p>“Calm down Johnny”, she stopped around a dark corner and grabbed hold of him by his arms, pleading with him to keep his voice down but Johnny became frantic.</p><p>“Maddox!” he cried out before Meredith firmly placed a hand over his mouth to silence him. It was too late, his call had drawn attention to them both.</p><p>“For Christ’s sake!” Meredith swore and pulled him with her as she sprinted to the stairs with a raucous gang of Blood Eagles following right behind.</p><p>Taking the stairs two at a time they both breezed past a confused looking Blood Eagle on the level below. Before he could take out his weapon and shoot, Meredith rammed her whole weight into him, pushing him away from them with such force that he lost his footing and tumbled off the side of the stairs and through a large gaping hole in the wall; gravity did the rest. Meredith prayed that they could get to the elevator in one piece.</p><p>“Why did you do that?!” she yelled at Johnny over the gunfire that followed them.</p><p>“It was supposed to be Beckett! They were gonna let us go if Louis brought them Beckett”, Johnny sobbed as Meredith swung him around behind the safety of a concrete wall beside the elevator doors just as one of the Blood Eagles rounded the corner and fired his shot gun in their direction. He missed but just barely, sending a plume of concrete dust and debris at them before Meredith took aim around the safety of their corner and killed him with two shots. She smacked the button to call the elevator before retreating behind the wall and handed Johnny one of her loaded guns.</p><p>“Watch the other corner, if anyone comes around you shoot them!” she instructed before swiftly turning her attention back to the two other Blood Eagles who had reached the end of the staircase. With a swift aim she eliminated them before they even had a chance to aim their weapons at her.</p><p>“<em>Come on come on</em>!” she muttered urgently as she reloaded her pistol, listening to the elevator motor straining to climb to their level. Several seconds later she heard the familiar bell as the elevator reached their floor. Grabbing Johnny by the arm, Meredith dragged him out from their cover to get inside the elevator. It wasn’t until the doors opened and revealed Mad Maddox with two of his guards behind him standing in front of them, a surprised and eager look in his blood shot eyes that Meredith felt the colour drain from her skin. Even though at first it seemed that her appearance there startled Maddox, he was able to anticipate her reaching for her pistol. He grabbed her wrist, pushing her aim away from him. Meredith pulled the trigger but the bullet instead found its target in the head of one of his guards standing to his left.</p><p>“What do we have <em>here</em>?” Maddox licked his lips, his savage gaze burning into Meredith as she struggled against him. With one swift kick to her midriff he sent her flying across the room, clutching her stomach and gasping for air like a fish out of water. “And what are you doing out of your hole Johnny?”</p><p>Louis’s brother shook with fear and his gaze fixated on the floor as he placed his arms over his head in anticipation of Maddox reprimanding him.</p><p>“I said… who’s your little friend Johnny?!” Maddox asked in a low and menacing voice, taking a few steps to loom over the man’s trembling frame, making him drop to his knees. Mad Maddox was a towering figure: at 6’3” in height with skin mottled with burns and random scars, his unnaturally pitch black hair the colour of coal shaved on the sides of his head in a cropped Mohawk style, and a prominent star tattooed on his left cheek along with a tattoo of a hickey on his neck.</p><p>“I don’t know, I don’t know, I swear!” Johnny pleaded, cowering under Maddox’s imposing figure, “Please don’t….please”.</p><p>“Does <em>this</em> look like Beckett?!” Maddox slapped Johnny over the head as he pointed at Meredith, “Huh?! <em>Does it</em>?!”</p><p>“N-no”, Johnny whimpered, sinking to the floor in anticipation of more punishment, but Maddox strode over the Meredith and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her with ease to her feet.</p><p>“Who the <em>fuck</em> are you? Hmm?” he asked with deadly curiosity before turning to Johnny behind him, “Your brother stupid or something, Johnny? Thinking he could send someone else in Beckett’s place? Ah well, doesn’t matter, I’ll just settle for killing you both”.</p><p>“No no no, please Maddox”, Johnny’s pitiful voice pleaded as he crawled to Maddox’s feet, “Please, she said he’s close. Beckett is close, he’s outside, probably waiting for her”.</p><p>Maddox’s blood thirsty gaze quickly switched to a sadistic curiosity and Meredith felt his grip tighten around her throat, “Hmm… well, then… we should invite him over to our party, shouldn’t we? Wouldn’t want him to miss what’s coming next”.</p><p>He was holding Meredith by the neck with one arm outstretched so she wouldn’t gain any purchase with her attempts to kick and hit him. The last thing that haunted her as she started experiencing tunnel vision from restricted airflow and everything faded to black were Maddox’s dark blood shot eyes burning into her. She didn’t care what happened to her, she just wished she could tell Beckett she loved him one last time before her vision blurred and the world went black.</p><hr/><p>“Come on Mere”, Beckett murmured under his breath as he looked through his binoculars at the scene going on in front of the Mansion. One of the Blood Eagles had unwittingly stepped on one of the mines Meredith placed in the vicinity and a group of his pals had come running to see what was going on, including Mad Maddox.</p><p>“Shit…”, he whispered, his gaze drifting to the top of the Mansion in an attempt to locate Meredith. Heart beating fast in his chest and the first signs of panic beginning to bubble within, his mind raced with what could be taking Meredith so long. It wasn’t until a strategic thought crossed his mind that made the panic rising within him slow that he realised he could eliminate their problem with one shot from his location. Hastily rummaging into the duffle bag, he pulled out the scoped for his rifle leaning on the rock face next to him, attached it and aimed the barrel at the base of the Mansion, looking through the magnified image for his target.</p><p>“Come on, come on…I had you, you son of a bitch”, he muttered, a feverish desperation in his tone as he loaded a .50 round into the rifle’s chamber and adjusting the zoom on his scope; by the time he’d gotten into position though, Maddox was inside the building and Beckett saw him go into the elevator. With a quick slide of the elevator doors, Beckett’s window of opportunity closed along with it.</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>!” he swore under his breath. A voice inside his head was screaming at him to radio Meredith and let her know Maddox was coming up to the top level, but if he did he would undoubtedly alert the other Blood Eagles on her floor to her location. There was no way around it… he was going to have to go in after her.</p><p><em>‘Alright Beckett, stay calm. You need to go in, find Mere, and get out!’</em>, he told himself, tearing his attention away from the activity at the base of the Unfinished Mansion. He was so nervous and terrified that his whole body was shivering while in his mind worst case scenarios began playing out one by one, sending him down into a spiral. He was so engrossed that he didn’t hear or see a Blood Eagle sneaking up from the west, flanking him.</p><p>“I’m coming Mere”, he whispered; but when he turned around he was ambushed by the lurking Blood Eagle, knocking him unconscious. The hope of getting Louis’s brother out of there, and Meredith, evaporated in that critical moment...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Eye for an Eye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Like thick velvet cloth, pitch black darkness wrapped itself tightly around Beckett’s mind, swallowing him into a terrible abyss he knew he needed to find a way out of…but there was no light to guide him back.</p><p>Suddenly a shooting pain on the side of his face brought a twinkle of light back and he got a flash of the world in front of his eyelids before the darkness overtook him again.</p><p><em>‘Wake up Beckett’</em>, he willed himself to open his eyes, but couldn’t get his heavy eyelids to open more than a sliver. His head felt heavy, as if he were wearing a concrete helmet. His mind and thoughts felt like they were swimming in thick syrup, and a persistently annoying ringing in his head wouldn’t go away.</p><p>Another jolt of pain seared from his head through his body and Beckett was finally awake, the hazy and lopsided world in front of him slowly coming into focus. At first he didn’t understand what was happening, what he was looking at; all his mind wanted to do was close his eyes again and drift off into a dreamless sleep…until Meredith's familiar figure several feet away from him, hunched over and calling out his name snapped him out of his haze. The abrupt realisation of where he was sent adrenaline coursing through his body, breaking Beckett out into a cold sweat.</p><p>“Mere…Meredith?” he called out, his voice unusually gravelly. He tried to move but his arms were painfully secured behind his back and he found himself lying unceremoniously on his side.</p><p>She was on her knees, a Blood Eagle raider looming over her with his knee painfully jabbed in her back, forcing her to hunch over; but there was no doubt about it – it was Meredith. A deep gash on her left eyebrow left a dark bloody trail down the side of her face and neck, her arms were bound in front of her with thick coarse rope, but she was alive and, for the most part, unharmed.</p><p>“Finally! You’re awake!” a coarse voice boomed some feet away from him. Beckett felt his stomach sink…there was only one man that god awful voice belonged to.</p><p>Willing himself up to a kneeling position with a pained groan, Beckett raised his heavy head to look Mad Maddox defiantly in the eyes.</p><p>“I was afraid you’d miss the party”, Maddox sneered, squatting in front of Beckett to obscure his view of Meredith, “We just can’t have that”.</p><p>“What do you want Maddox?” Beckett spoke in a low tone, his gaze darting around his surroundings to see what was going on. The situation wasn’t promising – he and Meredith were completely surrounded by Blood Eagles. From the looks of things, they appeared to be on the roof of the Unfinished Mansion. The wind at this height was unexpectedly strong, buffeting against the building with force and the conglomeration of Blood Eagles that had gathered on the roof, making them sway and stumble every once in a while with a strong enough gust…all except for Maddox who was sure of foot.</p><p>“At first, I just wanted to get my hands on <em>you</em>”, Maddox began, his tone dripping with sadistic pleasure, “I wanted to make you pay for what you did to Star. But then…the most wonderful thing happened”, he turned around, eyes wide with a sickening joy that made Beckett want to spit in his face, “What do I find but your little busy body here, trying to rescue ol’ Johnny”. Maddox chuckled in amusement as he strolled over to Meredith and grabbed her by the nape of her neck, forcing her to her feet.</p><p>“Let her go!” Beckett spat, a murderous rage coursing through him, “Let her go or I’ll-”</p><p>“You’ll what?” Maddox interrupted, eyes wide in mock surprise, “You’ll kill me? Take a good look at yourself Beckett, you’re trussed up like a prize radstag. Relax! Sit back, enjoy the view”, he gestured around with his free arm, a crazy look in his eyes, “But before we make a start on our fun filled evening, there’s someone who wants to see you first, he nodded to a Blood Eagle standing beside Beckett, who grabbed him by the collar and swung him round. The sight in front of Beckett stole the very warmth from his body.</p><p>“<em>You</em>…<em>son of a bitch</em>”, Beckett muttered with a loathing so intense it made his entire body shake with disgust and rage. In front of him, on a sharp rusted metal spire, was Johnny’s lifeless head…his eyes rolled back, slack jaw, and his skin turning a deathly shade of grey. Behind him was what was left of his body, strung up for the crows to pick at in the morning. The Blood Eagle guard yanked him back around again to face Maddox, who seemed even more amused with Beckett’s reaction.</p><p>“I think his head makes a great addition to my mansion, don't you?”, Maddox added, “I was thinking of doing the same to your little friend here but… I imagine there’s better uses we can find for her”.</p><p>Beckett’s whole body launched him forward, only to come crashing unceremoniously face first in front of Maddox’s feet before quickly being picked up by two other Blood Eagles and painfully planted back onto his knees.</p><p>“So I got to thinking...”, Maddox turned his attention to Meredith, who despite her small stature and having her hands tied, was trying desperately to get out of his large grip, “What can I do with her that’ll have the maximum effect? Hmm? Let my boys have their way with her? Rough her up a bit, then cut her up in little pieces in front of you? Or…maybe she can keep Johnny company”, Maddox suggested sadistically.</p><p>Before Beckett could say a word, Meredith got a good swing with her leg, connecting hard with Maddox's side when he wasn’t paying attention. Though it gave Beckett satisfaction to see Maddox wince like that, he knew he wouldn’t let a defiant act like that go unpunished.</p><p>“Feisty, isn’t she?” Maddox laughed, yanking Meredith along as he neared the edge of the platform they were standing on, making Beckett’s stomach do a loop.</p><p>“Let her go Maddox”, Beckett growled, keeping his eyes on their enemy, “It’s me you wanted, right? Well I’m here now. Let her go, and you can do whatever you want to me”.</p><p>“No Beckett!” Meredith protested, only to be reprimanded by Maddox’s tightening grip around her throat.</p><p>For several agonising moments, Maddox seemed to consider Beckett’s proposal, pacing back and forth from the ledge. Beckett’s heart was beating in his throat and his desperate gaze fixed on poor Meredith. Maddox had not let up his grip around her throat and she had to fight for every breath, wheezing and gurgling as Maddox yanked her around like a small animal in his hand.</p><p>“You make a good point Beckett. You <em>are</em> here, and I can <em>finally</em> pay you back for what you did to me”, Maddox answered in a low, dangerous voice. Something in the narrowing of his eyes told Beckett that he was simply taunting him, “But… what your little bitch did to Star…No…she’s not going anywhere”, Maddox added.</p><p>“Please, <em>please</em> just let her go”, Beckett begged, body shivering from the cold and the fear building within his core. If he lost Meredith, he feared that that would be his undoing. She had given him purpose in life, encouraged him to become a better man...if he lost her, what point would there be to living?</p><p>Maddox’s eyes shifted between Beckett and Meredith, still struggling in his grip, “Wait…wait, are <em>you two</em>…?”, he pointed with his free hand between him and Meredith, a now sickening grin spreading through his thin lips, “oooh ho ho, <em>shit</em>! This is too much! Boys, we bagged ourselves a 2 in 1!” Maddox called out, prompting the other Blood Eagles to join in his laughter.</p><p>Beckett kept silent, a rage building inside of him like he'd never felt before. He wanted to hurt Maddox, to rid the world of the likes of him...but right now there was nothing he could do against Maddox or the others that wouldn't incite retribution onto Meredith. </p><p>“You know what? On second thought... I'm feeling <em>unusually</em> generous tonight. So... I think I <em>will</em> grant you your last request Beckett - I'll '<em>let her go</em>'”.</p><p>What unfolded before Beckett, he never could have predicted... The act was so violent and careless it rocked him to his core; without a second glance, Maddox raised Meredith off the floor and tossed her over the ledge, as if she were a rag doll…and there was nothing Beckett could do to stop the horror unfolding in a split second in front of him. All he could do was watch, powerless as the woman who’d saved his life, who he’d come to love more than anything and anyone, was hurled to her death without a second thought. There was no scream, no cry for help from her, just a stark realisation as their eyes met that this was the last, precious moments of her life, before she disappeared into the abyss below.</p><p>“NOOOOO!” Beckett howled, his voice carried by the buffeting winds, launching himself from his kneeling position only to be knocked over by the Blood Eagle guard standing behind him.</p><p>Maddox laughed and whooped, pleased with the reaction he achieved.</p><p>“Well, there she goes! Isn't that what you wanted Beckett? I let her go, just like you asked” Maddox mocked, leisurely sauntering over to kneel beside him “S’only fair, when you think about it. She took my Star, so I took <em>her</em> from <em>you.</em> An eye for an eye”.</p><p>Blood pulsed through Beckett’s body in a rush and his body shook with inconsolable grief and fury. He couldn’t hear the next words that came out of Maddox’s mouth from the crashing waves of his blood, until his vision began to narrow and a dark, murderous veil clouded his eyes. His following memories were a haze, suddenly having found himself on his feet launching himself into Maddox. As if by magic his hands were freed and were clamped around his enemy’s thick neck. He could feel Maddox's oesophagus crunching in his grasp before a sharp blow to the back of his head forced him to break away, reeling precariously forward. His vision came in and out despite his eyes being wide open and filled with rage. He swung his arms furiously in front of him and to his sides, feeling his balled fists colliding with several targets followed by the sickening sounds of cartilage and bones crunching; killing any and all Blood Eagles was his only purpose now.</p><p>Several volleys of gunfire thundered below on the ground level of the Unfinished Mansion, but Beckett didn’t seem to care; he was out for his own revenge. With Maddox’s Blood Eagles on the roof quickly dealt with, beaten to a pulp with their limbs twitching as the last semblance of life left their pulverised remains, Beckett swung round, his attention searching for Maddox. He found Maddox ready for combat on the other side of the platform, licking his thin lips in anticipation and brandishing a deadly combat knife.</p><p>“Just you and me now Beckett. We can do this quick and painless, or I can take my time with you. Your choice…though on second thought, I think I’ll enjoy myself with you tonight”, Maddox taunted above the sound of the howling wind. Clenching his jaw for the fight that was about to come, Beckett was under no illusion that this wasn’t going to take every ounce of strength on his part to get his revenge. He was lucky that Maddox was distracted before and thought Beckett couldn’t get out of his restraints, but now the element of surprise was gone. He was under no illusion that he was getting out of this alive; all he wanted was to be the one to watch Maddox draw his last breath.</p><p>Launching himself at Beckett and slashing the knife in quick successions at him, Beckett dodged every blow and advance, knowing that if he could keep this pace up he would eventually tire Maddox out enough for him to make an opportunistic mistake. The volley of gunfire at the base of the building was intensifying and Beckett could hear that something was going on, though he had no respite to make a guess as to what.</p><p>“C’mere Beckett! Stop pussyfooting around and face me like a man!”, Maddox yelled, annoyed at Beckett’s quick parries and movements away from his grasp. Maddox lunged at him again, only this time he made a mistake of reaching too far. Beckett turned just in time to avoid the blade and grabbed his arm with both hands, twisting it painfully behind Maddox's back. The knife dropped out of his hand, but Maddox quickly recovered with a swift kick to the back of Beckett’s knee, sending a shooting pain that left him sprawling on his hands and knees. He quickly recovered, limping away to one of the end tables with a tray full of surgical instruments and picked up a scalpel before he felt Maddox’s hand slam into his right shoulder and pull him away with such force that he rolled over the edge of the platform thirty feet away. Feeling the terrifying weightlessness as his body left the safety of the platform, Beckett reached out his arms in a last effort to grab hold of anything; luckily for him, a protruding steel beam offered a steady surface to grab onto.</p><p>Now he could clearly hear that the fighting at the base of the structure was moving upward; he looked down and saw the rest of the Blood Eagles were under attack and many were either dead or abandoning their posts, though who the invaders were he could not tell. He didn’t have long to cling on before Maddox’s towering figure loomed over the ledge, sneering down at Beckett hanging on for dear life with one arm hooked around the steel beam. He stomped on him with such force that the searing pain made Beckett gasp, knocking the wind out of him. Despite his grip loosening slightly, he was still adamantly holding on…but for how long could he keep this up? The next kick could break his arm and he’d fall down to his death...just like Meredith.</p><p><em>‘At least in death we’d be together again’</em>, a despondent thought crossed his mind.</p><p>Suddenly another voice called behind Maddox, turning his attention away from Beckett and opening up a window for attack. Without hesitation, Beckett took out the scalpel in his free hand, reached up and slashed just above Maddox’s right ankle. The sound of a snap, as if a taught rope being cut, surprised Beckett; he must have caught his tendon because Maddox’s wounded leg abruptly collapsed under his weight and he stumbled onto all fours, bleeding profusely from the wound.</p><p><em>‘Get up, do it now while you can!</em>’ an urgent thought pushed Beckett into action. With immense effort, he swung his lower body up and round, hooking his leg around another exposed beam and pushed himself up with his upper body. Before he knew it, he was on top of Maddox’s back repeatedly driving the scalpel into his chest and neck, unaware of another Blood Eagle who had come up to the rooftop to help his master. A series of muzzle flashes almost blinded him in the dark and the air filled with a cloud of red mist and the familiar metallic taste of blood. Either from sheer stupidity, stoned haste, or blind luck, most of the bullets from the stunned Blood Eagle raider met their target in Maddox and missed both their heads. With a final sickening gurgle and a bewildered look in his dark eyes, Maddox’s last breath rattled out of his throat and his limp body collapsed face forward.</p><p>Panting from his ordeal and shivering in a cold sweat, Beckett knelt on the hard surface of the platform ready to face his admonishment for killing Maddox…instead, a deadly volley of bullets at the bottom of the stairs from where the raider had originally surfaced from caught the raider unawares. He was dead…it was over…</p><p>Beckett’s spent body slumped to the side on his hip, a stubborn part of him still clutching onto the bloodied scalpel he used to kill Maddox; despite part of him wanting nothing more than to close his eyes and never wake again, another stubborn part fiercely clung to life. Searing pain began to spread through his body; he looked down at his torso and found several bullets had met their target, leaving red patches of blood to spread through his off white shirt.</p><p>“Beckett?!” a familiar voice called from the bottom of the stairs. It wasn’t until the man's familiar lean frame came into Beckett's blurry vision that he realised it was Ward.</p><p>A deep, relieved exhale rushed out of him and Beckett finally collapsed; it was comforting to know that in his last moments, he would have a dear friend beside him…</p><hr/><p>Beckett’s mind floated in a void, a state of awareness and random fleeting memories dispersed by long and terrifying moments of nothing; though in all of the moments where he had a semblance of awareness, Meredith was always beside him.</p><p><em>‘It’s all a dream’</em>, he thought, <em>‘It’s a dream, or I’m close to death and she's waiting for me’</em>.</p><p>He felt her hand on his, her soft lips graze his forehead; she whispered something to him, but her voice was so ethereal that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand. Cold tears ran down the sides of his face and a heavy weight rested on his torso, making it hard to breathe. If he was near death, he was comforted to know that she was there waiting for him.</p><hr/><p><em>“How’s he doing Paige?”</em> he heard a man’s voice ask.</p><p><em>‘Paige? Wha-…where am I? Foundation?’</em>, Beckett thought.</p><p><em>“Vitals are stable, there’s no infection and his condition over the past couple of days has stabilised”</em>, another man answered. Their voices were familiar but so muffled that Beckett couldn’t place them.</p><p><em>‘Just let me go’</em>, he despaired, <em>‘Please…No more. Just let me go’</em>.</p><p>
  <em>“Has he regained consciousness?”</em>
</p><p><em>“Barely. He’s peered around once in a while, but nothing since”</em>, Paige answered.</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t understand, he’s supposed to be getting better”.</em>
</p><p>“The blow to his head was severe Ward, he just needs some time for the skull fracture to heal”, Paige answered. His voice was growing louder, or was it that Paige was getting closer. Suddenly an uncomfortably bright light flashed in one eye, then the other, rousing Beckett enough to shake his head weakly and pull away from the stimulus.</p><p>“That’s a good sign...Isn’t’ it?” Ward’s voice whispered.</p><p>“The best we’ve had so far!” Paige replied, optimism in his voice. Beckett compelled himself to open his eyes wide enough to let him examine his surroundings. There they were, Paige hovering over Beckett taking his vitals while Ward peered from behind his back.</p><p>“Hey there! You gave us quite a scare Beckett!”, Ward grinned encouragingly. Somehow the weathered lines in his face appeared deeper and he had dark bags under his eyes. It didn’t look like he got much sleep.</p><p>Beckett tried to speak, but his mouth and throat were so parched he could barely utter a sound.</p><p>“Here, this’ll help”, Paige reached over to his other side and placed a plastic straw to his lips, squeezing the closed bottle to let a stream of cool water trickle into his mouth. He hadn’t realised how parched he felt until that first drop of water touched his tongue, and immediately his body reacted positively. He took several long drags of water through the straw, enough to quench his dry throat.</p><p>“Easy now, not all at once”, Paige gently moved the drink back to the end table to Beckett’s disappointment.</p><p>Once he had a moment to get his bearings, there was no doubt in Beckett’s mind that he was in Paige’s infirmary underground in Foundation.</p><p>“How’re you feeling?” Ward asked, warily taking a seat on a chair opposite Paige.</p><p>“Why… Why am I here?” Beckett manage to ask after a moment. Both men looked at each other, confusion written on their features.</p><p>“Do you have any memory of what happened to you Beckett?” Paige asked hesitantly.</p><p>Beckett nodded, “I was on…the roof… Unfinished Mansion”.</p><p>Both men nodded and smiled in relief, encouraged by his answer.</p><p>“You…should have left me”, Beckett added, once again confusing his carers.</p><p>“Now I know there’s something wrong”, Ward turned to Paige, his tone filled with concern.</p><p>“You should have let me go… I was ready…”, fresh tears trailed down the side of his face.</p><p>“We’re not in the business of letting out friends perish without a fight”, Paige gently laid a reassuring hand on Beckett’s shoulder, but Beckett adamantly shook his head and resisted.</p><p>“No…No! I wa-…watched her die…saw Maddox toss her as if…as if she were nothing!”, his voice cracked and was becoming desperate; he felt his heart rush in his chest as the memories came crashing back. Maddox with his hand wrapped around Meredith’s delicate neck, yanking her around as he paced on the platform, tormenting Beckett before throwing her off the end of the platform to fall from the deadly height of the Unfinished Mansion…her startled and terrified expression still raw in his mind. Chest heaving in desperation to catch some air, it felt as though a large concrete block was sitting atop his chest, threatening to crush him.</p><p>“Calm down Beckett, everything’s alright”, Paige tried to reassure him, but when Beckett showed no signs of improving Ward had to hold him down while Paige injected him with a clear liquid. Almost instantly Beckett felt the weight lift off his chest and his heart rate slow; he could breathe again. Not long after he felt his eyelids grow heavy and the familiar weight of sleep begin to take hold. Everything began to have a faraway quality to it again.</p><p><em>“You’d better go get her back Ward”</em>, he heard Paige’s voice before succumbing to a dreamless sleep again.</p><hr/><p>Hours, days, or weeks could have passed since he was last awake and fully conscious. Time had no meaning anymore; especially since he didn’t have Meredith.</p><p><em>Meredith</em>…</p><p>His brow furrowed and he felt tears well up uncomfortably in his eyes, burning his lids before sliding down his face. It was enough to wake him from his deep sleep. Mind still groggy from the sedative that Paige administered, Beckett lay still in his bed. It wasn’t until after several moments when he tried to wiggle into a more comfortable position that he felt something obstructing him under his right arm and a weight across his chest and abdomen. He moved his right arm in an attempt to move away from the obstruction, but only managed to rest his arm on top of it. In his dazed and drugged state, it took him a moment to recognise that the obstruction wasn’t...normal. Confused and curious to understand what was on his bed, he willed himself to move his head and focus his gaze down.</p><p>There, curled up next to him with her head on his chest and right arm wrapped around his waist…was Meredith.</p><p>Beckett froze, blinking the tears and sleep out of his eyes and pushing his mind to wake up.</p><p><em>‘No…it can’t be her…’</em>, he thought, his bewildered gaze affixed to her. Meredith was dead, he saw her fall… Surely he was hallucinating, imaging her there there with him. <em>Yes, that must be it</em>, he thought, surely it was his intense grief conjuring up her presence to either sooth or torment him… but the more he observed her form, the more he realised she had to be real. Her sides roses and fell with every breath, he could feel the warmth from her body radiating through the thin blanket covering his body, and every once in a while, her fingers and feet would quietly twitch as if she were dreaming.</p><p>Beckett’s body froze and he feared that if he moved she would disappear, but despite that his need to find out if she was really there prodded him to examine her further. He trailed his fingertips lightly over her exposed skin, felt her warmth spread to his hand, heard her breathing; everything from the touch and smell of her skin was screaming at him that she was not a hallucination – Meredith was really alive, and he wasn’t crazy.</p><p>He wanted to hold of her, pull her tight to him and never let go. A painful lump in his throat prevented him from uttering a word, but his whole body shuddered as he sobbed silently next to her. Even though not a whisper left his silent sobs, his body was shaking so much that it roused Meredith from her slumber. She raised her head slowly at first, a dazed and perplexed look in her eyes, until she woke enough to notice that Beckett was awake and weeping.</p><p>“Beckett?!” she looked him over urgently, “What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Paige? Paige! I need you here!”</p><p>Suddenly the room rushed with activity and Paige, two medics and Meredith encircled him checking his condition.</p><p>“What’s going on? Is he going into shock?” Meredith’s voice was so distraught that it took Beckett aback. He knew he had to calm himself down and made himself take several deep breaths in and exhale, the way Meredith taught him to calm himself when he felt himself spiralling into a panic.</p><p>“Apart from raised heart rate and breathing, he seems fine”, Paige’s confident answer seemed to ease Meredith’s worries somewhat, “He just seems to be…a bit emotional, is all”.</p><p>“<em>Mere</em>…<em>you’re alive</em>…?”, Beckett mustered after a long moment, blinking hot tears out of his eyes.</p><p>The lines around Meredith’s eyes softened immediately and she heaved a sigh of relief.</p><p>“I’m here Beckett”, she moved to sit beside him, taking hold of his hand in hers, “I’m alive and ok. You had me so worried so much though”.</p><p>“How?” was all Beckett could muster, his body still shuddering from the intense emotional release.</p><p>With Beckett’s condition in no danger, Paige ushered the other medics out of the room to give him and Meredith some space. Once she was sure they were alone, Meredith described her side of events after Maddox threw her over the side of the roof. Just as he had been lucky to grab hold of an exposed steel beam, Meredith’s fall was arrested when her rope bindings got caught on a bent rebar. Beckett’s gaze fell to her wrists and, sure enough, he could see the skin of her delicate wrists were a deep shade of red from rope burn and angry looking scabs from cuts caused by the rope digging into her skin. If it wasn’t for the buffeting wind pushing her in a more sideways fall and further away from the wall of the building, it could have very well meant the end of her short life.</p><p>“Not long after Ward and a group of his guards stormed the base of the Unfinished Mansion. Louis told Foundation about what had happened, and the settlers were eager to send some of their best fighters to help us. They killed almost all of Maddox’s raiders, scattering the rest of the survivors, and quickly moved up the building. I recognised the sound of Ward's voice when he was near my level and called out for help. He and another guard pulled me up and I led them to the roof”, her voice trailed off and Beckett could see tears brimming in her eyes, “By the time I got up there, you were out cold and bleeding badly. One of the raiders had shot you several times and I thought I’d lost you”.</p><p>Beckett felt fresh tears roll down his cheeks, empathising with her side of the story. Without hesitation, he pulled his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. Meredith didn’t resist, simply lay on top of him and they both stayed there for several long moments, silently comforting each other.</p><p>“Oh Mere… I…I don't even know where to start…”, Beckett stammered between breaths, “That feeling, when I thought I lost you…that I’d never see you again... It was like watching my world end… When it was over, when Maddox was down…I was ready to die…<em>wanted</em> to die”.</p><p>Meredith shook her head on his chest and took a shuddering breath in, “Me too… I knew that if you didn’t pull through, I wouldn’t want to carry on…”. For a moment they quietly held each other, breathing each other in, hands trailing lovingly over each other’s faces as if memorising every line, every curve of the other.</p><p>“I love you <em>so</em> <em>much</em> Mere. Without you… I dunno what I would do…where I would be”, Beckett uttered after a tender moment, leaning toward her and pressing his parched lips on the soft, plump pillows of her open mouth. She tasted sweet and warm, just as he remembered.</p><p>“I love you too Beckett”, Meredith breathed.</p><p>Holding each other tightly, Meredith and Beckett spent the rest of the day inseparable from one another, recovering their bodies and minds with good food and cheerful conversations about fond memories and the endless possibilities that awaited them in their future.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>